An Ally
by ttiiggeerr
Summary: What happens when Voldemort discovers he has another horcrux he doesn't know about-and that its vessel is hurting itself to feel emotion again? Why, send him a magical journal so they can talk, of course. After all, everyone needs an ally. Warnings: abuse rape Tomarry SLASH TMR/HP TR/HP LV/HP Sub/Dom Sub!harry Dom!Tom COMPLETE
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

* * *

Harry's stomach flipped around while he waited for Vernon to come home from work. It always happened the same way. Petunia would pick him up from King's Cross, he would have his belongings ripped from him and locked away while he spent his time locked up in the bedroom the Dursley's had permitted him to remain in during the summer. The locks had long been fastened, and the sun was beginning to sink below the horizon. The only reason Vernon was ever this late was if he was on a business trip or if he had a particularly trying day and Petunia had mentioned he was due back at his normal time.

The smell of Chinese take-out seeped in from under his door as Dudley walked by. It would seem this would be a very bad night indeed if Petunia had finally given in and had food delivered.

Harry managed to doze off in the corner on the floor. There were no chairs in the room. The only furniture that occupied the space was an old dog bed they had thrown in a corner as a makeshift bed after Dudley had demanded a puppy (and gotten bored of it several days later) and a bucket meant for his bathroom needs. He hadn't gotten any food, and only managed to sneak in some nutrients potions in his shoes. They would give him enough nutrients to keep him alive until the end of the summer, but barely. He would be entirely too thin, and practically a walking zombie by then.

The slight screech of Vernon's tires as he turned into their drive woke Harry with a start. It was almost dark now, casting his room in a purplish blue hue. His heart started to pound faster, fear kicking in. He had been scared in the graveyard after the TriWizard Tournament, but it was nothing compared to the fear he felt now. In the graveyard he could fight. He had his wand. He wasn't defenseless.

Here he stood a lesser chance of an ant getting trampled on at a picnic.

He curled into himself, trying to make himself seem as small and insignificant as possible, the fabric of his shirt pooling around his feet. It was at least five or six sizes too big for him and was riddled with holes. He hugged his legs to his chest, listening to the door open downstairs. Petunia didn't even greet him, a very bad sign indeed. She always greeted him when he came home.

Each thud of his uncle's feet landing on the stairs made the blood pound in his ears harder. His heart raced, his mind going a million miles a minute wondering what sort of fresh hell Vernon had planned for him this summer.

The locks were undone painfully slow, each click as they released echoing in the empty space. Suddenly the door burst open, making him jump. He closed his eyes, squeezing them shut and waited for the blows that were sure to come. He had expected to hear footsteps coming towards him, but instead heard the slow creek of the door closing once more. He opened his eyes just enough to glance at what was happening.

Vernon had closed them inside together.

Oh no. No, no, no, no, no… He couldn't make his brain think of anything more than that. Worry gripped him where the fear hadn't settled yet as his uncle stared at him.

"Get up, boy. Now." His voice was low, with a dangerous edge to it. Harry stood quickly, trying to make himself look as small as possible even though he was on his feet. "Do you have ANY IDEA how STUPID you are? Almost getting killed at school? YOU SHOULD HAVE JUST DONE THE REST OF US A FAVOR AND DIED!" Vernon backhanded him across the face, making stars dance in front of his vision and causing his glasses to skid across the floor to hide somewhere on the other side of the room.

He had no time to recover, as fists grabbed his shirt and yanked him close. "If you can't die, then I'll have to just make you wish you were dead." His voice was dangerously quiet. A moment later, Harry was tossed to the floor. He didn't even bother trying to get up but he wouldn't have made much progress as Vernon was on top of him now, pinning him to the floor. He tried not to move or make any noise as that would just make his situation worse.

That terrifying voice was at his ear.

"You're going to do as I tell you, and not one thought of any funny business." He was jerked up to his knees as Vernon towered over him, his hand still yanking on his hair. He couldn't see Vernon's pants come undone, but he could hear it. He hadn't quite registered what was happening yet, terror engulfing his entire being. He heard a command from somewhere far away and opened his mouth to obey. It wasn't until he was gagging on his uncle's cock that he realized what was going on.

Tears streamed down his face as he attempted to breathe through the pain ripping through his scalp.

Just when he thought his jaw would break, he was tossed back to the floor. He didn't move, too afraid of the consequences. Apparently this was the wrong thing to do as he was spun around like a rag doll, his pants disappearing somewhere along the way. There was no hesitation, no brief pause for adjustment, no preparation before he was impaled with Vernon's nether regions. He vaguely could hear himself screaming for help, screaming for mercy. For it to be over.

When Vernon was done and had locked him back in solitude, he dragged himself to his 'bed' and stared at the wall until the sun came up.

Emotions had abandoned him altogether. It would seem that his uncle did manage to find a way to break him. Before he had always pulled through the beatings, knowing that on the other side there would be thousands of people relying on him to make it out of the other end alive for them. Now? He couldn't bring himself to care. Why should he? He had reported their abuse before. Every single year he begged not to be sent back. To be able to go anywhere else but here. And every summer he was shipped back to these monsters.

He was done. He wasn't going to help Dumbledore save the Wizarding World. Not if the price was...well it was too high of a price. His life wasn't worth living...not really. He was alive solely to either kill or be killed and in the end he didn't have one iota of knowledge or strength that Voldemort possessed. He was going to be walking to his death if he continued to fight.

Several days passed, him moving only to flinch when Petunia came to kick him after her dinner party hadn't been one hundred percent perfect and to use his bucket. He had managed to take one of the bottles of the blue potion that was meant to be keeping him alive. He didn't want to take the rest.

He wanted to die. Surely, then, he could feel something. He wanted to feel anything that could cut through the empty void his soul had become.

During the last 'visit' from his uncle, he had been scratched to ribbons. Blood had flowed from his arms at a steady pace. The pain of the scratches distracted him from the pain in his lower half. He zeroed in on his arms, only wanting to feel them sting. It was so much better than the burning, his flesh ripping from the inside out. At least the sting was constant. The sting had managed to cut through the emotionlessness. It made him feel again.

* * *

Voldemort was in his own mind on a lovely summer night. It wasn't too hot just yet, as the spring had just ended, and he was just enjoying it and examining his own mind. Occlumency did, after all, require a very organized mind. It was then, in the golden glow of the sunset, that he found an unfamiliar place in his mind. It was very small, practically minute, but still unfamiliar to him. It didn't seem out of place, just...new. Wondering if this could be from him regaining a body, he studied it.

It wasn't long before he noticed paid was echoing around in his mind. It was a hollow feeling, like it wasn't really there. Strange, he hadn't been injured lately. Upon closer inspection, he realized the feeling was coming from the strange new addition to his mind. But why would such a small area be in such pain when the rest of him felt fine? It certainly wasn't the area that held his past, that was elsewhere in his mind and much larger. It also had never created a scream quite that bloodcurdling, even if it was faint.

"My Lord, your presence is needed for the meeting."

"Yes, yes of course Lucious. I'm on my way." He'd have to study this part of his mind further at a later date.

* * *

Harry had no idea how much time had passed. Vernon hadn't come home since the second time he had been ripped open, he was out on a business trip somewhere in Canada. Petunia had avoided him, preferring to not waste her time undoing all the locks to take out a moment of frustration on him. Dudley was spending all of his time out with his gang of idiots. He didn't have keys to the locks, something Harry was grateful for.

He wondered if he could make himself feel...anything really. He thought of all the lives that would be lost due to him not fighting to provoke guilt. Students at Hogwarts being slaughtered by Death Eaters. Dementors, disappointing his friends, happiness, sadness, guilt, pain, terror-wait. He remembered feeling pain through the emotionless void when Vernon had scratched his arms last time he was here. Maybe that would cut through the smog that has clouded his mind.

He picked up the vial from the potion he had taken only a few days ago and broke it against the floor. He held it against his arm, anticipation slowly creeping in. Anticipation, that was something. It was new and he clung to it as he dragged the glass over his skin.

It wasn't deep, after all he had just wanted to see if this would prompt his feelings to return. Blood beaded up at the wound, the stinging sensation flooding his senses. He smiled, finally being able to feel something cut through his emotionless stupor.

At least he wouldn't be bored this summer.

* * *

Voldemort had spent a lot of his spare time analyzing the new place in his mind. It wasn't completely foreign to him, yet he couldn't remember ever having it before this new body. It had to do with his new body, he was sure of it. What could have possibly happened in the last fourteen years that would enable a new part of his mind to appear like this?

He would worry about it later. For now, he needed to check up on his horcruxes. He still possessed links to them all, he just didn't check in on them that often. They were very heavily guarded, after all. Especially since he learned that Lucious had managed to lose one that was later killed off.

"Since when do you have new parts to your mind? I thought we were the only ones." A jealous Tom from his early twenties appeared. "I thought we were your only horcruxes. Don't you trust us to keep you alive?" He staggered back, almost tripping over a rug in his rooms.

"A new...horcrux? But how…?" He let his conscious go back to that new area in his mind, his thoughts whirling around him at a rapid pace. Upon closer examination, now that he knew what to look for, he realized that this was somewhat similar to the connection he had with the horcrux in Nagini. How could he be so blind to not see it before?

After much debate with himself and not being able to recall doing anything that would have allowed this to happen, he decided to cancel his meetings until further notice. It was...almost alive, like his horcrux was perfectly content living in another being rather than setting up camp in his mind. It was well past midnight when he realized how long he had been lost in thought. Deciding enough was enough, he reached out to the space and found himself in a nightmare.

Crimson and gray swirled around his vision as he realized he was seeing things through the beings point of view. He still had no idea what, or who, his horcrux was in and this was no help unless they, or it, decided to walk past a mirror.

And then, searing white-hot pain where he least expected it. The two beings screamed, paid blinding them.

He managed to jerk himself out of the dream, unable to take the pain any longer. The scream was familiar, all too familiar to him. He had heard it in the past, although when he heard it the noise was from anger and frustration. Now it was fear. Fear and pain.

He would have to revisit this link in the morning. For now, he needed to research.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

* * *

Much to his displeasure, he found it more difficult to see through the link during the day. Things were hazier, not as well formed. Thoughts were only half created and tossed away just as quickly. He had almost given up when he felt a jolt of pain and then a flood of relief mixed with a stinging sensation.

Suddenly the colors around him were more vibrant, although something told him they weren't too bright to begin with. There was more clarity in the world now, but the stinging remained. He gasped when the eyes he was sharing looked down at an arm.

It was skinny, far too skinny to be normal. What skin remained was so full of cuts it was hard to see where one began and another ended. What wasn't bleeding was in various stages of bruising from a sickly yellowish brown to purple so dark they looked black.

It was strange, knowing he had no control over what he was doing or seeing. But he wasn't truly alarmed until he caught sight of the glasses behind the arm. Those glasses could only mean one thing. The horcrux he never knew he created was in Harry Potter.

Even more alarming than the arm he was still gazing at was that there was no desire to live. There was no fire. Only the stinging pain and the anticipation just before the blood would appear. He felt fear tear through his body when a click went off somewhere behind him. Another click, another wave of fear. There were far too many clicks for this to be real, Harry must have fallen asleep and now this was some sort of dream.

Except it was no dream. Nothing fabricated by the human mind in it's unconscious could produce such sickly crunches as fists came hurtling towards his body.

After he pulled himself into his own mind, he decided it was time to get to know his enemy. He thought he had known everything about him. It appeared that his ideas of Harry living in a nice house with a bed and a family that loved him were very far from the truth.

* * *

Harry got up, shuffling to the window. It may be barred against people, but certainly not the owl that was gently tapping on the window. It was like he knew to be quiet. The window creaked, although no one was home at the moment to hear it. The owl dropped the small parcel he was carrying on the ledge, and took off again.

He gently took the paper off, wary of what was sent to him. He hadn't recognized the owl and if it were anything from the Weasley's they would have sent it with Hedwig. She was currently standing in for Errol who was too elderly to carry anything heavier than a short letter at a time.

Neatly packaged was a leatherbound journal. It was the color of blood, with silver swirls every so often. It was elegant, and far too refined for any of his friends to have sent it. Underneath was an automatically refilling quill, a small box with the same design work as the journal and a small note folded in half.

_'Never underestimate the value of writing down your thoughts._

_From, An Ally'_

Harry eyed the journal, not eager to repeat his second year at Hogwarts. He had steered clear of diaries and journals ever since. Nevertheless, with nothing to lose, he picked up the quill and wrote.

_Well, I suppose I have nothing left to live for. You're not some magical journal that will come to life and try to possess me are you? Just checking. I don't have much to say, other than that, I don't want to live if I have to live like this._

He watched, fascinated when his words didn't disappear, but more appeared below his short paragraph.

_Think of this journal as a...a sort of imitation of passing notes in class. I have charmed my journal to link to yours so you have someone to talk to. I know enemies run rampant for you, but I can assure you I mean you no harm. I do hope you'll consider using it. As well as the box I sent with it. Check it._

Harry blinked in confusion. Why would he check the box again? He looked anyway and was surprised to find a handful of grapes in it. He ate the grapes, not caring if they were laced with poison. Petunia had forgotten to feed him today and yesterday, and had only given him stale bread and a small cup of water the day before. Nourishing potions can keep you from starving, but they didn't help the gnawing pain of one's stomach shrivelling to nothing. He put the quill back to the paper.

_Why?_ The script was coming faster now.

_Because you should not be starved to death. You are too good of a person to wither away into the abyss we call death. _The words stopped for a moment before continuing. _Would you like to talk about anything? I, for once, have an entire day of nothing ahead of me._

Harry contemplated. He had nothing better to do, but he wasn't sure if he should be trusting the person at the other end of the book. His isolation from the rest of the world prompted him to not care about the consequences. He missed talking to someone too much.

_I appreciate your assistance. I was beginning to think no one cared for me any longer. I suppose I would like to talk more than I would like to admit._ He waited for the words to start appearing.

_I would like to propose a game of sorts. We each tell each other something of ourselves. I'll go first: I sometimes miss having friends._

_You don't have any friends?_ The words had left the quill before Harry had given himself permission to write. _I'm sorry, that was harsh. I suppose I don't really have any friends either._

_But what about school? Surely you've made friends there._ A wave of sadness washed over him before it settled to the numb fog he was used to.

_You're a stranger to me and you noticed that I'm...malnourished. They don't even ask about my summers, let alone notice I'm smaller than everyone else in our year and the one below us. I hardly call that a friend._

He looked up to see that the sun had crawled farther down the horizon than he had thought. _I must leave._ His normally scratchy script was practically illegible as he hastily stuffed everything he had received under a floorboard he had pried up and thrown his 'bed' on top of. His heart pounded when he heard Vernon's tires squeal into their drive.

* * *

The abrupt ending to their conversation took Voldemort by surprise. He wasn't one for overstaying his welcome, but that was a bit sudden for his taste. He set his quill down and leaned back in his chair before letting himself watch the events unfold in his mind.

Fear was an emotion he would never get used to. It was all encompassing, nearly choking him with its potency. He heard the clicks from last time, wincing as the door flung open. Harry had curled himself up into a ball in the corner on the floor, covering his head as the blows came raining down on him. His uncle left, too out of shape to continue anymore.

Adrenaline flowed through his veins as he picked up a jagged vial that had been broken some time ago. Voldemort was screaming at himself to stop, to not move the hand anymore, but it wouldn't do any good. It was Harry that was doing this, not Voldemort. He decided it was time to visit Surrey to see if, after all of the hatred in the house, the blood wards were even a concern for him anymore.

Upon his arrival at the end of the street, Voldemort immediately recognized the house his nemesis, his horcrux lived. Impressive and powerful wards surrounded the property, although none of them had any blood magic in them. Walking to the edge of the property, he reached out with his magic to find out what sort of wards these were. He'd really rather not feel like he was being burned from the inside out if there really was blood wards.

He recognized standard wards and dug a little deeper. Now this was interesting. Dumbledore had encased the property in anti-magic wards so no witch or wizard could perform any magic here whatsoever. What was Dumbledore playing at? Basic wards at best that he could tear down without a thought and then preventing Harry Potter from defending himself? Was the old fool trying to get him killed? Even he could see that anyone could easily come and kill him. Muggles weren't repelled from the wards and could have come in the night and beat him within an inch of his life…

Voldemort gagged and threw up in the perfectly manicured bushes. That must be what he felt when he had peeked into his mind. The searing pain would have been from someone hurting him. Starving him was one thing, but beating him? This was so much worse than he could have imagined. He hated the idea that a part of his soul was enduring more torture at the hands of muggles. Alarmingly, that wasn't even the worst of it. He felt guilty for all the times he had tried to kill the boy after that first failed attempt. Had he known the conditions he had been raised in, had he not assumed he was living a life of luxury and training, he would have tried to…

Tried to what? Convince him over to his side? Raise him? Leave him alone? He wasn't sure, but he wouldn't have continued trying to kill him if he had any idea the living situation was this bad. Being beaten within an inch of your life to then be thrown into a world where someone was actively trying to kill you? The knowledge of his existance would have been enough to torture the Potter boy, and he wouldn't have needed to spend so much precious time fighting him.

Ignoring his stomach's unease, he grabbed a small toolkit and picked the front door locks manually. He didn't wish to alarm Dumbledore of his presence, that would be counterproductive. He crept silently through the house, ensuring to rely only on his senses rather than his magic. There was nothing of interest on the first floor and he ascended to the second floor.

He didn't have to look very far to find the room he was looking for.

No less than three sliding locks, two chain locks, and four padlocks were dutifully keeping one of the doors firmly shut. Checking on his mental link to the horcrux briefly to ensure the boy was asleep, he quickly picked the locks and opened the door.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

* * *

It was far worse than he could have imagined.

The smell hit his nose first. The entire room stunk, most of the smell coming from a bucket in the corner. It wasn't until he managed to set aside that smell and it's origins before he recognized it. The distinct smell of sex and blood. His head jerked to the corner he had last seen him in, and repressed the urge to vomit once more.

Harry Potter, the saviour of the Wizarding World, was passed out cold and bleeding profusely from his arm. A broken vial was hanging loosely from his right hand as blood steadily trickled down his arm and dripped on the floor. Inwardly, Voldemort cursed at the situation. Everything about this was wrong. Here was the person who was supposed to defeat him, lying on a poor excuse of a bed and on a very short path to ultimate self destruction. And to make matters worse, he would be taking his horcrux with him if he should succeed in it.

His mind flew through his options a million miles a second. He could just kill the boy, but then he would be short a piece of his soul. He could just take him and apparate them away, but then suspicions would be raised. Besides, Harry wasn't likely to be enthusiastic about that just yet. He could give him the means to get out, although that would trip off the anti-magic wards. The only logical conclusion he could come to was to get the bleeding to stop, and to send him medical supplies so he could regain strength. He would have to get him to tell him the truth sooner than he had anticipated.

* * *

Harry awoke to find that his arm wasn't bleeding anymore. It stung though, more than any of the other times. He had gone deeper this time, adding a few extras in for good measure. The pain was the only thing keeping him sane. The sun wasn't up yet; as a matter of fact, the position of the moon in the sky would suggest two or three in the morning.

He sat up to dig beneath the bed for his journal. He felt terrible for stopping their conversation the way that he did.

_Hello? I'm sorry for leaving the way I did earlier, but I'm back now. I know you're probably not awake, seeing as it's so early in the morning._ A few minutes trailed by without so much as a single stroke of a quill back. He was just about to give up when the writing started.

_You know, I've been thinking about that game we started and never got to finish. I suppose I shall just out with it, shall I? There are a great many things I have done in my lifetime, and most of them are horrible things. I guess I'm at an impasse. I no longer wish to continue down the path I was once walking and yet I have gone so far, I have no way to change the course._

Harry thought on these words for a moment, before replying.

_I believe that even though we sometimes cannot see the way in our lives, others who care for us will light the way to where we wish to be._

_Those are wise words, well beyond your years. Tell me, do you take your own advice? Or is this something you have learned by observing others?_

_Note quite. I have a...unique position. I am able to understand the way life goes for most as I've had many tales told to me. Things like this sort of come to you when you least expect it the more you hear about other people's lives and how they have overcome darkness._ He thought for a few more minutes while ink started appearing. He only started to read once it had stopped writing.

_I believe that we each have to walk our own paths and that those who share a path are fools. But it seems I am made to be the fool now. I have to do what I have set out to do, only to find out I have unknowingly prevented myself from doing exactly that. And now, I am finding that I am reluctant to move forward. But enough about me, I have shared enough secrets._ Harry stared at the page wondering if this person was thoughtless enough to really think he was going to be so open. Not everyone was a bloody open book.

_Come now, the point of the game is to share things with each other we haven't shared with anyone else. Besides, if I started talking about things a book was telling me, no one would take me seriously._

Harry sighed. It was obvious this person wouldn't give up until he started divulging information about himself.

_Fine, if you're so curious. I don't want to be a part of this bloody war. I'm tired of the fighting it brings. I've had to fight for my life since I was one, and why? Because some codger was afraid of a baby?! I had to fight to stay alive when that damn curse hit me, I've had to fight off starvation, fight to keep my cousin from finding me at school, fight this accursed madman every single year and now I have to fight my own mind to survive. The fighting is really getting to be too much, and it's all I've ever known. Shouldn't it be normal by now? The fighting? If it's all I've ever known then why am I not used to it yet?_ He felt tears falling onto the bound parchment as he pushed the rapidly rising emotions down.

_I believe that we can all agree the fighting has gone on too long. And you, you should not have been dragged into this war. It was not your fight and an old man decided you needed to be involved. He used you, a pawn, and pretended you were a checkmate. His bluff worked, and now you are stuck dancing around the enemy's king, coming ever closer to death. For death, it seems, is inevitable for your crossroads right now._

_No, you must be wrong. There MUST be another path, a third trail that no one can see just yet. I do not wish to die right now, although I often find myself wishing for death to come to my window. There simply has to be another path open to me…_

The ink that appeared was arriving faster now, as though Harry had the most interesting problem in the world.

_Do not worry. I believe there may be a trail; however, it will be dangerous to traverse. Getting lost is a real possibility on that trail, and deviating would be certain doom. But I'm sure there must be another path. For both of us._

* * *

Voldemort smiled, thoughts flying around his mind. If he could convince Harry that there was another path, then perhaps there was hope for his horcrux after all. The question was what to do with him afterwards?

His bond with Nagini was strong. The stronger their emotions for each other, the better their link was. It would seem that he had such a good link with the boy lately was because of their incredible hatred for each other. But what would happen if he tried to turn that hatred into a partnership? A friendship, perhaps? It would certainly have to be a strong emotional bond. Perhaps he could get the boy to look up to him? No, that would backfire quickly. He didn't exactly have a pretty past.

But what of friendship? Maybe they could look beyond the past just enough to continue forward to better the world? Or they could just retire to their day-to-day lives and enjoy each other's company without worrying about the rest of humanity.

But he feared what would happen if the emotions weren't strong enough. Nagini loved him, and he loved her, which was why their bond was so strong. He and Harry hated each other and hatred was a very passionate feeling. So what if they drop the hatred but they never learn to care for each other? If that were to happen, his horcrux would be in danger. He wouldn't be able to communicate with it as well, increasing the risk that something could happen to it without him knowing until it was too late. Even being able to platonically love each other would be incredibly ideal.

Another thought entered his mind, so swiftly and quietly he didn't realize he had thought it. What if they went a little too far and fell in love with each other?

* * *

Harry had fallen into a pitiful sleep. He hadn't been sleeping well. Endless thoughts of who could be on the other end of the journal plagued his mind while he was awake and when he slept, he dreamt of a tall, hooded person in a cloak so black it blended with the night itself. Nothing ever came of it, he just stood there and watched Harry. And the image was driving him nuts.

_I haven't slept well._ The responses were almost immediate now. They had spent the last few nights writing to each other. The secrets they shared were vague and small, but they were beginning to trust each other.

_When was the last time you slept through the night without nightmares keeping you on the edge of consciousness? Harry wrinkled his nose as he wrote his reply._

_Look, that wasn't the point. You asked me how I was, and so I replied with the truth. What would you have me do, lie?_

_No, I suppose you're right. Instead of sleeping, then, what did you do last night? I myself was researching in my library._ Fear stabbed at Harry's heart while he thought back to the previous night. Vernon had come home from a particularly bad day at work which led to Harry having a very bad night indeed. He had watched blood trickle down his arm while semen dried in him instead of sleeping, but he couldn't very well go and his penpal that.

_Nothing important._

_You and I both know that isn't what you wanted to write. But alas, if you insist on keeping secrets then here's another one of mine. I was raised in an orphanage where I was constantly being ridiculed and beaten down for being different. It wasn't the worst childhood to be had, but it was far worse than most of my peers._ Harry's jaw dropped. The person he was communicating with could either read his mind or was someone that he may be able to talk to somewhat openly.

_I...I'm sorry. I know that must have been hard._ Rather than continue writing, he started to draw. He couldn't find the words, so he would show how he could sympathise.

The black and white drawing was crude, depicting a small child holding his knees in the corner with his head down. The empty space around him was unsettling to look at in the drawing, so he added a small journal on the floor next to the boy. A single tear fell on the paper, just on the other side of the boy.


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

* * *

Voldemort found himself smiling sadly at the picture that had appeared in his journal. It would seem that he was finally opening up about his situation. About bloody time, too. It had been almost a full week since he had sneaked his way into the house on Privet Drive. A large tear stain showed up on the paper, followed shortly by another.

_Oh Harry. Thank you. I know you are in a nightmare of a situation. Please, I'm only trying to help. You don't have to open up to me if you don't want to but I cannot just sit idly by while you suffer in silence. It's tearing me apart, not knowing what's going on in your mind._

_How can I just open up to a stranger when I won't even let my own mind in? He paused. Perhaps all the things Harry had been taught in school would help him in getting the boy to trust him._

_I believe that it seems we are meant to be traversing this together. I can see things you cannot, and you can put things into perspective for me that I would not have considered. Perhaps we are meant to trust each other. A small blotch of ink grew as a quill hung in the air over the parchment without moving. Another secret then: I am the last person on this planet that you would expect me to be._

* * *

Harry's eyes widened. He had been curious as to who it was on the other end of these conversations, but he hadn't been bold enough to outright ask. The question just simmered in the back of his mind.

_Not Severus Snape, surely. He's much too depressing and snarky to be you. And Draco Malfoy, he's much too proud. Am I even remotely close? Or will your identity remain a guarded secret forever?_

_You are...what's the saying? In the right ballpark? My identity is something that will not be divulged until you speak of your living situation._

He sighed. He was determined to keep the majority of his situation a secret, to bury it so deep that he would forget about it. But if he only told a partial truth, that couldn't do much harm.

_Fine. I'm living with my relatives as I'm sure you know by now. They beat me and keep me locked away when I'm here. I don't handle this situation with grace, far from it. But I always survive to make it to the other side. And that is what is expected of me, the Golden Boy. The Boy-Who-Lived. The One Who Survives For Everyone Else. I am little more than a shell, just barely holding myself together. My body is a symbol of light and happiness, and yet I hold all this darkness and sadness inside. How can I possibly go on like this? How can I possibly expect to be a part of normal society once I'm done at Hogwarts? Once the war is over? I am a pawn. A chess piece that means little to those playing the game._ He broke out of his thoughts for a moment at the sight of a response cutting him off.

_Only one is playing the game, Harry. The other merely put up an illusion of himself playing the game. For this is no game. This is reality, and the cold hard truth of it all is that real lives of real people are at risk. Every sacrifice is a family torn apart, every single mistake is blood spilt. I appreciate your honesty, even if it was only a part of the truth. There is a larger story there, something I intend to find out sooner or later. But I won't force your hand in that. You can tell me in time. For now, take the potions I've sent and rest. You need not worry about your nightmares, for your dreams will be much sweeter tonight._ Harry closed the book and quickly dug out the potions that were in the box under his floorboards. He smiled when he saw they were labeled.

Nutrience potion was first. Potions didn't taste very good, but he felt a little less weak almost immediately. Next was a blood replenishing potion. His veins went cold. How could he know? Did he even know or was it just suspicion? He couldn't know what he did to help himself stay sane. He shoved the panic down and took the potion anyway. There was a tincture he wasn't familiar with, although after he took it he felt much calmer than he did before. The panic wasn't as strong as he took the next one before he realized he didn't know this one either.

For the first time in years, he slept without a nightmare. He dreamt he was sitting on the edge of a river, listening to the water flow and feeling a gentle breeze on his face. After a little while, he felt a presence behind him and he beckoned for the person to sit next to him.

"So, you've finally come? Is this it then? The time to die has finally arrived?" A light chuckle followed his words as he saw legs in his peripheral vision settle down next to him.

"No, Harry. I have come to apologize." The voice was familiar, but Harry didn't question it. "I have realized that I have made many great errors in my life so far. My mistakes started years ago, back at the orphanage. I took pleasure in tormenting the children that hurt me. No one was there to tell me it wasn't right, but I knew it wasn't right anyway. Something in me told me to stop, that I was going to regret it one day.

"And then, Harry. Then I found out I was a wizard! Oh the joy I felt at knowing that I wasn't the freak they all let me believe I was. There were others like me. And then, summer after summer, I begged not to be sent back to the orphanage. And summer after summer, I was dumped on their doorstep. It was cruel of them to continue to send me back there.

"The children didn't come near me if they could avoid it. They all wondered when I would snap, when my mind would break. And it did, quite spectacularly I might add. In one month I managed to not only find a weapon to inflict pain onto others, but that weapon on my command could kill. And so started my descent into madness.

"I was obsessed with power, you see. I needed it, wanted it, craved it. And the more I killed, the more power I gained. It was an obsession, Harry and a very unhealthy one. And now I am stuck at an impasse. Do I continue to do what I craved so long ago, or do I simply disappear? Neither one of those options are good enough in my mind. Somehow, I've got to make the world see that they need to operate on peace and to heed the words of our children so they don't become the monster I was. The monster you are slowly becoming." Harry felt goosebumps travel over his arms.

"But surely...I'm not…" His voice trailed off. He knew it was a lie before it even left his lips. "You're right. I've been resenting others for a long time for sending me back every summer. A part of me wanted them to notice it wasn't healthy for me to continue returning." He paused, searching for the courage to look over at his companion. When he finally looked, it wasn't Tom Riddle or Voldemort that he was staring at. More of a mix of the two.

Skin paler than the moon, crimson eyes, high cheekbones, dark hair, long fingers...the combination of the two was intoxicating.

"I understand you so much better than I used to. I used to wonder how such a monster could arise from nothing. But I understand now. I understand how you could fall off the edge of sanity and then keep tumbling." His voice was quiet, resigned to the revelations he's had since owning the journal.

"There's...I'm not going to remember this, am I? I'm going to wake up and never remember anything that happens here in this dream. Is it even a dream, Tom? Is this something I've made up in my mind to justify the twisted emotions in my heart or is this real? Something to taunt me with later?" He looked out to the flowing water once more. "I can't stand the thought of this being real and yet, I find myself yearning for it to be. I've come to trust whoever it is on the other end of the journal I was given but I can't help but think that I made them out in my mind to be more than they really are. That they, somehow, could possibly understand the pressures of my position in this war. Is it possible that I've humanized you in my mind and imagined it's you on the other end of my quill? Or are you truly a changed person, twisted only by the events that have been thrown upon your shoulders with no one to guide you? I suppose I'll never know unless the journal itself tells me once I'm awake."

He felt cool fingertips grazing across his cheek and felt more than heard the final whispers of the man next to him.

"It's real."

The dream dissolved and Harry sat up in bed suddenly. The sun had started to creep its way through the window, heating the room to an uncomfortable degree. Looking out the window, he wondered about his dream the night before. There wasn't any way that it could possibly be real. It was too idealistic of him to hope that it had been real. Nothing that good was ever real. Hope, happiness, the feeling of being cared for. It was never real. But that didn't mean the the journal was his imagination. That was real. The dream, however, was not.

He reached for the journal and opened it. He didn't even get a chance to find his quill before words appeared before him.

_It's real._


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

* * *

Harry's eyes widened at the two words. Such ordinary words with such a strong meaning behind them.

_Tom?_ He waited for a reply, hardly daring to breathe. He couldn't believe the absurdity of the situation. If it really was Voldemort communicating with him through this journal, then why hadn't he found a way to kill him off yet? He didn't know if he was happy or upset that he was still alive. Perhaps he was waiting to find something to use against him.

But that was ridiculous. Harry had practically spelled out all the horrible things that he had endured while he was here. That in and of itself was fuel enough to keep the papers busy for months, let alone for bringing down the morale of the witches and wizards fighting against Voldemort. How could their precious savior be tarnished in this way? Soiled, never to be innocent again. If he were looking for something to use against Harry and Dumbledore's side of the war, then surely he had more than enough fuel.

He blinked as he realized no matter the motives, he had grown to enjoy the conversations they had. And what did that say about how he felt? He had grown to somewhat trust this person on the other end of the journal.

_Yes, I suppose you can call me Tom. It's much better than that cringy name an idiot teenager created. Voldemort, seriously what was I even thinking? And death eaters? Could I have been any more cliche?_ The ink appeared faster now, rushed almost. _If you wish for me to leave you be, I will burn my journal that is linked to yours. I understand if you no longer wish to continue with our communications._

_No, that's alright. You can be manipulative but...something is telling me that you're sincere within our messages to one another. Call it instinct I suppose. So far it hasn't let me die, even though you should have been able to kill me several times over._

_Harry...I am sorry. It seems I was truly insane at one point thinking that a mere baby would hurt me. I am glad you defeated me. I needed a reality check and Merlin knows everyone over the age of three wouldn't have given it to me. A brief pause. I am so sorry I took your parents away. I cannot repay you for what I stole, and only wish that one day you may be able to forgive a crazy, power hungry lunatic of the past._

Harry's answer was immediate. He didn't even need to think about it.

_But Tom, I had already forgiven you. People learn, they grow and collect new morals and learn from their mistakes. I've learned from others that my parents weren't really that memorable. My father played pranks and took his jokes too far on certain people and my mother was kind with pretty eyes. No one knows their favourite pastimes, what made them happy and what made them cry. No one knows what they believed in, what they found hope in. They remember my parents because their child was the Boy Who Lived. I don't remember them, I was too young. I forgave you for a lot of what you did back then, especially since you've returned and kept your masses under control. There's less violence now than there was when you were gone. I can't hate you for keeping things under control this time._

Harry's stomach growled, the pain shooting to his entire body.

_Harry, listen to me very carefully. I understand if you want to stay in your circle of friends and with Dumbledore's side of things, but you need to be removed from your situation. It isn't healthy for you there._

_I'm fine. I've been fine this long, what's another few weeks?_

_LOOK AT YOUR ARMS HARRY. THAT'S NOT FINE. THAT'S NOT THE SIGN OF A GOOD LIVING SITUATION. HAVE YOU EVEN LOOKED AT YOURSELF IN THE MIRROR LATELY?_ Harry flinched, the unexpected outburst bleeding into the paper like it would never go away._ I don't mean to yell at you, but you are withering away to nothing. At least let me come to you. You don't have to come with me when I depart, but I would at least appreciate a moment to talk to you. Face to face._

Harry sighed. He knew it wouldn't be so easy as to say he was fine. But how did he know about his arms? Even though he wore a short sleeved shirt, it was so large that the arms covered everything he did to himself. Shame burned in the pit of his stomach at the thought of what else the piece of clothing hid.

_My uncle will be returning home tomorrow morning. I'll allow you to be here for an hour starting at midnight tonight. I cannot allow anything more._ He closed his eyes as thoughts assailed his mind. He couldn't risk anyone knowing the true extent of how poorly his life was going.

* * *

Tom smiled. He would certainly be there, and he would have enough sense to go through the bars on the window this time rather than the front door. He shouldn't have to sneak around picking locks like a common thief. Then he remembered the anti-magic wards.

Right, so flying in through the window wasn't going to happen. But if there was a way to get the bars off the house, that would allow him to have Nagini lift him up. She was long enough that she could do it and she was particularly adept at lifting him to places that he couldn't use magic to get to. Yes, that might work. But how to get the damn bars to let him through was another question entirely.

A few hours later he had an interesting idea. Pressing his wand to his mark, he summoned none other than the world's best potions master.

"Ah Severus, so glad you could make it." He didn't give the man any time to respond. "If someone could invent a potion to allow a witch or wizard to come and go from their animagus form at will without practice, even for an hour, you would be the man that would have invented it years ago." Severus rolled his eyes.

"Yes, my lord. I invented it last year actually, a special request for Madame Pomfrey at Hogwarts. Transfiguration had gotten a little out of hand that day. May I be so bold as to assume you would be wanting some of this particular potion?"

"Yes, if you could. How long does it take to brew?"

"I've got some stocked up at Hogwarts. Transfiguration doesn't mix well with Hufflepuffs, you know. I'll go fetch it at once and leave it with one of your house elves shall I? I do have classes to get back to." Tom hummed in agreement and thanked him before he left. The key to keeping Severus on his side was to treat him like his time was worth something.

It was exactly two minutes prior to midnight when he and Nagini arrived in front of Harry's residence. Tom downed the potion, not bothering to taste it. It left a slight aftertaste of what he could only describe as silver moonlight before it shifted his magic ever so slightly. He focused on changing, morphing himself into an animal. It was only when Nagini hissed in frustration did he open his eyes.

Suddenly the world was much larger and he was flat on the ground, and Nagini seemed much larger.

~Master, you've got to be kidding me~

~What are you talking about?~

~Look at yourself. Did you have any idea what you would even turn into? Now can I please go home? I have better things to do than slink around with no goal.~ Tom looked at himself and saw his scales glinting in the dark. He changed back to take Nagini home, quietly laughing to himself. Of course he would be a bloody snake himself. Once he was back at Privet Drive, he looked at the house. With only seconds to spare he was slithering through the open window, easily sliding through the bars.

There was no light turned on, forcing him to let his eyes adjust as soon as he was on his own two feet once more. He managed to make out Harry's outline, hunched over in the corner facing the wall. He slid his foot across the floor, just enough to alert Harry to his presence. When he turned his head to look, Tom felt his heart stop for a moment.

Gone was any childhood innocence. The light had long disappeared from his eyes, leaving them empty. He was hugging himself, making it painfully obvious just how small he really was. Tear streaks lined his face, while his hair hung limply. Tom made his way to him, proceeding with caution.

"Harry?" He held out a hand. "Can you stand?" The eyes glinted with trepidation, his entire body screaming caution with every move he made. Nonetheless, he did reach out and allowed himself to be pulled up.

The wincing didn't escape Tom's notice; however, he didn't comment on it.

"Please be honest with me. When was the last time you let anyone help you?" A pregnant pause followed and ended with Harry shaking his head.

"I-I don't let anyone help." His voice was broken. It had a hollow echo that spoke of pain and emptiness. It was obvious he hadn't talked in a very long time. "They shouldn't have to. I'm nothing but a burden as it is. Everyone around me already has to live with the knowledge that they're automatically top of your kill list just be associating with me. I can't ask for help. What would they say if they saw me now? Their saviour, beaten and stuffed into a corner in fear. Unable to practice magic-to even do homework. Too thin, nightmares that rip screams from him...no one wants to see me like this so they pretend it doesn't happen. It would break them all if they knew their precious hero was dead inside." A tear slid down his cheek, glinting like the stars in the sky. "I'm only worth anything if I'm strong in their eyes. And so I pretend to be strong for them. That is what I'm on this planet for." Tom shook his head.

"It is true, you are broken. But so are they for not seeing what a wonderful person you could be if only they would help put you back together again." Harry looked at the floor while he talked, mulling over his words until his head suddenly jerked up.

"What do you care?" His voice was full of distrust, his glare sharp enough to cut diamonds. "You want me dead anyway," his arms stretched out around him. "So do it already. Kill me. It's what you came for, yeah? My life is the only thing you've wanted since I was born. Take it. I don't want it." His eyes flashed, a silent challenge trying to egg him on.

"Harry, you don't believe that. Not even I believe that anymore. I haven't wanted to kill you for months. I've been quite happy sharing quite a few secrets with you, as a matter of fact." Harry's face fell, his arms lowering as what Tom was saying sunk in.

"You don't...want to kill me?"

"No, foolish bo-" He cut himself off as his eyes caught sight of Harry's arms. The young wizard quickly moved his arms to his sides, hiding them from sight. Tom held out his hand, his annoyance quickly being replaced with concern. "Please, let me see. I need to know." He looked into those green eyes, trying to convey how much he wanted to help. After a few moments of the two staring at each other in their own silent battle, Harry hung his head and held out his right arm.

Tom's fingers gently traced the cuts on his arm. There were too many to consider counting, some deeper than others. They went every which way, conveying the chaos that was in Harry's mind at their time of creation. The green eyes were closed now, shame staining his cheeks pink.

"Oh Harry…" The arm jerked out of his grasp.

"Don't. I don't want your pity." Tom scoffed at him, the annoyance returning.

"What, you think I pity you? No. I merely understand you, you dim-witted dolt! I'm not here to pity you. I'm here to help you in the way no one ever helped me. You think I like seeing you abused like this? You're the only one in this world that has battled me and lived to tell the tale, and you've done it more than once! Even Dumbledore hasn't beaten me in a duel. This isn't the Harry Potter I know. The Harry Potter I know would never let this happen. He wouldn't back down from a fight. He wouldn't cower in the corner while the world passes him by. He would fight."

Tears were now freely streaming down Harry's face.

"How dare you? I...you can't imagine what tortures I've endured here. Nothing you could dream up would compare. You want to know why I'm like this? You really want to know? Take a look. Rifle around in my head. Go for it. You're well known for getting all the information you want even without a wand. Have at it." Tom tilted his head and smiled sadly.

"Harry, I don't want to find out by force. I want you to trust me enough to tell me yourself."

"Why?" The snapped remark took him off guard. Why did he want Harry to confide in him so badly?

"I...bloody hell. Do you know why Dumbledore wants you to tell him every single time your scar hurts?" Harry's shoulders relaxed ever so slightly, the curiosity helping him break out of his defensive stance ever so slightly.

"No. Just that I should tell him so he can make sure there I'm not sick."

"So he hasn't told you. Do you, by any miracle, have any clue of what a horcrux is?"

"A what?" Tom turned to face the window and took a few steps mentally cursing his enemy to every level of hell there is.

"Bloody hell Dumbledore, you're hiding all of this from your weapon? How in the blazes was he supposed to figure it out on his own?" He took a deep breath and turned back to Harry. "A horcrux is very dark magic. They are created by murdering someone. Murder creates a sort of sliver in the soul, and the witch or wizard has to...essentially grab onto the sliver and tear it from the rest of their soul. They then store it inside an object of their choosing. It is extremely painful and takes days to weeks to prepare and even longer to recuperate."

Harry's eyes widened. "But what does that have to do with my scar?"

"Harry, I should not be the one to tell you this. However," he held up a hand to stop the impending interruption, "it would seem you have been left in the dark for a very long time and so I will inform you myself.

"The night I killed you I was planning on creating another horcrux. My seventh one, to be exact. It happened to be the day that the rat came to tell me where your parents were hiding you. I came to kill you.

"I imagine you're aware all magical children can have random bursts of magic at a young age?" Harry nodded. "You had such a burst as I cast the curse at you. Your mother's magical core whipped out and surged to protect you and in doing so caused your magical core to throw up a fairly powerful protection charm. It deflected my curse back at me which ripped my soul from my body. In the process, a splinter of my soul was ripped free and went to the only thing practically smothered in magic-you."

* * *

Harry could feel his jaw on the floor.

"I'm...my scar is...you're inside me? How...but then...why wouldn't someone tell me?"

"Alas, this I do not know. I can only speculate. Although if past experiences are anything to go by, I imagine Dumbledore wanted you to slowly figure it out over the next few years. He was always a sucker for the long journeys of self-discovery, even at the cost of others. You would have been dead long before you even knew what you are." Harry shivered, holding himself once more.

Tom sat down on the dog cushion, pulling the younger wizard with him. He wrapped an arm around Harry's shoulders, draping his robe over his body like a blanket.

"I only learned of this recently. I was digging around in my mind one day after the graveyard and found another link to a horcrux I didn't remember making. It wasn't until I traveled through the link to see through your eyes did I have any idea who you were, and even then it took more than once. That's when I sent you the journal. I knew the importance of what I was seeing. I didn't want you travelling down the same path I took. I lead a vicious life because of how I handled things when I was younger."

"So what, you wanted to be my friend because I have a part of your soul in me?"

"No Harry. That's not entirely true. Although I admit that is a part of it, I saw my past in your present. I wouldn't wish that on my greatest enemy, and wanted to offer my help in whatever way I could. And then I grew to like you. You have a certain...sass that I enjoy. No one has ever been brave enough to talk to me the way you do. I like it." He looked down at the wizard leaning on him, noting that he was quickly falling asleep.

"Come, you need rest. Lie down, that's it. I cannot leave my cloak for fear of what the muggles will accuse you of. But know this Harry, if nothing else. It's real. I care, and that's real." He reluctantly slithered out of the window and apparated home once he was safely outside of the house.


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

* * *

Harry awoke a few hours later to Petunia's screeching from downstairs.

"-absolutely cannot believe you would have the gall to accuse us of such a thing! My nephew is a strange boy and not quite all there in the mind but we would never allow harm to come to one of our charges. Now I would appreciate it if you would leave my property since I see my husband just came home." Harry flinched, imagining just how much worse things would get before they ended up killing him.

His uncle had managed to get the person to leave, whoever it was. By the time Harry realized there was anything wrong, Vernon was already undoing locks on his door.

"So, you think you can find a way to contact the police? Get us thrown in jail? _Not bloody likely_." Fear gripped Harry's stomach while his heart rate increased at an alarming rate. "You will accept how we treat you, little whore, because we are the only ones who will take you in. We are the only ones who cared enough about you to give you a place to sleep." Vernon's pants were off in record time. "Come here, you ungrateful slut and make yourself useful for once in your bloody life. NOW BOY!" Harry flinched at the volume of Vernon's voice and retreated to a safe place in his mind where the events unfolding in front of him couldn't harm him.

It was here, in the recesses of his mind, that he felt something different. Or someone, rather. He didn't feel so alone here.

* * *

Tom watched the events unfold, wincing at the sheer brutality of the attack. He did manage to disconnect himself somewhat, giving himself a body like he had in his own mind so he could wander around at his leisure.

Only a moment or two later and he found Harry walking around with him, although it appeared Harry wasn't aware there was anyone else in his mind with him.

"Harry? Is this how you deal with what you go through? You come here? To this part of your mind?" The boy turned, not seeming to be startled that there was someone there with him.

"Yes. It's the only way I can block things out of my head. How I survive. How I keep my sanity, or what's left of it. Why is it important where I hide in my own mind?" Tom smiled.

"Because this is where my horcrux lives. I find it interesting that you should take your comfort with me, even if it wasn't a conscious effort." They remained in silence for a moment before Harry spoke up again, his voice timid.

"What are we? We're enemies, friends within the journals, equals in most everything we do...Tom _what are we?"_ Tom thought long and hard on that.

What did he even want them to be? He was supposed to be killing the boy, not conversing with him daily. He was supposed to be cursing his existence, fighting him until one of them died. And yet, he found himself giving words of encouragement to the boy, willing him to live. Giving him potions to keep him alive. He didn't want him to suffer, yet that was what was supposed to happen.

"To hell with it," he growled. "I imagine that you're more confused than I so I'll just be blunt. I don't know what we are. But I do know that I'm done fighting with you. I want to befriend you, to be there for you, to support you in all that you want to do. I find myself wanting to hold you at night to stave off the nightmares you suffer from. I don't know what we are. But I do know that against all odds, I care for you. My entire being longs to rescue you from that abhorred place and yet, you will not allow it. So tell me Harry, what exactly is it that you are hoping to hear me say?"

Tears welled up in his emerald eyes. "I...I cannot be rescued. And yet...I find myself yearning for it. For this," he gestured to the rest of his mind where he was screaming for someone to stop his uncle from tearing him open any further, "to stop. To be held without feeling the need to flinch away. I want that, need the feeling of being _safe,_ of being protected rather being the protector. I'm just so tired of it all. I cannot continue like this, it will kill me in the end. I don't know what I wanted you to say Tom, because I know that it wouldn't be what I ache for." He lowered his head.

Tom grasped his chin lightly and lifted his face to his.

"Perhaps the one you were meant to kill will be the one to save you in the end." With that, Harry's mind was overcome with the black that only unconsciousness could bring.

* * *

Tom flew back into his own mind with a rush. Gasping for air, he summoned Lucious. Of all of his followers, this one was least likely to dawdle.

"My lord," the blond bowed to him.

"Lucious, gather my inner circle-minus Bellatrix. It is time I had set the record straight on a few things." Lucious bowed again and disappeared quickly. Not ten minutes later, every single member of his inner circle was kneeling in front of him.

"My followers, you all may find a place to sit. We have much to discuss." They sat quickly, eager to see what it was that he had to tell them. They weren't told to take a seat often, it had piqued their interest. "It would appear that some of you are...misinformed of what my goals are." A nervous titter floated from one side of the room to the other.

"It is not my intention to eradicate all the muggles and mudbloods. I merely do not wish for them to ruin pureblood traditions and believe that children to muggles should be checked up on, and given the opportunity to voice concerns about their home lives. Although it is not hard to see why our traditions are being squandered with none of you willing to share our heritages! But I digress...You've all been very loyal to me. However, we need to stop progressing with the violent attacks if we are to be taken seriously. It may have worked in the beginning, but not now. It is obvious that Dumbledore is drunk with power and if we pull back to do things the proper way it may help our cause as people will begin to see that we do not wish to kill everyone on site anymore. Years ago people were almost hungry for the fight, to follow whoever came out the victor. This is not the world we live in today." Lucious spoke up then.

"My lord, I will admit I am quite shocked by this turn of events. May I be so bold as to inquire what has brought about this new line of thinking? Of course, I will follow you no matter how you wish to achieve these goals." Tom rolled his eyes at the obvious attempt to get out of being tortured for his question.

"I have recently been informed of Potter's home life. The reality of it." He turned to glare at Severus for a moment, knowing full well that he should have noticed the signs of abuse before this. "The boy is broken and looking for someone to help him. I've been spending my free time showing him that I can be trusted and that we don't mean to harm the wizarding world any longer. His trust in Dumbledore has been waivering these last few years, always being kept in the dark and being forced to return to his relatives every summer. It should be much easier for the world to accept our views if Potter is the one delivering them, don't you agree?" The group nodded, hardly daring to breathe with this news.

"I expect that each of you will be cordial and that you will all leave him alone until I deem it appropriate. Understood?" They all nodded once more. "Good. Be gone with you. Severus? You stay." His tone grew colder when he addressed the potions master. Once everyone else had left, he procured a vial of Veritaserum.

"You know what this is. You brewed it for me. You know there is no antidote. Take it." Severus gulped and drank the necessary few drops. Tom glared at him. "The whole thing." Eyes wide, but reluctant to disobey a direct order he downed the entire bottle.

"Why, exactly, was Potter's abuse never brought to me?"

"I didn't realize at first. I brought it up with Dumbledore the first week he was at Hogwarts, but I was told he was raised in a very small village and that he was likely just overstimulated by all the students and noise. I believed him. In the beginning of his third year I told Dumbledore that he was showing signs of abuse but was brushed off. I believe he said it was his cousin and something else about children being children. I didn't want to believe that Dumbledore was willingly putting Harry in danger, just as he had done with Lily. I didn't want to believe it…" Tears started pouring down his face. "Please," his voice was barely above a whisper, cracking with emotion. "Please tell me it isn't as bad as it was for me."

"It's much worse for him than it ever would have been for you Severus." He stood up and went to stand in front of the fire while Severus composed himself. "I plan on getting him on his birthday. It's not too far from now is it?"

"Tuesday, my lord. It's Tuesday." There was no hesitation in his voice, surprising Tom.

Turning back to the potions master, he tilted his head slightly. "You didn't hesitate. Why do you know his birthday so well?" Severus choked, clearly trying to fight the potion.

"I...because..._fuck._ I went to apologize to her just before her eighteenth birthday. We...I don't know if she married James because she loved him or because…" Tom's eyes flew open.

"You mean to tell me that Harry Potter might actually be your son?"

"Maybe. The timing added up, although it was during a war. I never got the chance to ask her if my suspicions were true." Severus got up on shaky legs and left Tom to contemplate what he had just been told.

* * *

Tuesday came all too quickly for Tom. He had been so preoccupied preparing for Harry to come and live with him that he was having a hard time keeping up with the boy in the journal.

_Harry, I know I have been neglecting my journal lately. Rest assured, I am merely preoccupied at the moment. Things will get better very, very soon._

He closed his journal and turned back to the bedroom he was decorating for Harry. He had settled on neutral colors, rather than the typical boldness of red and gold. It was too strong of a color palette for someone who was in a weak state of mind. Harry needed time to heal peacefully.

The walls were painted a light, creamy beige. The trim was a dark spruce, contrasting nicely with the walls. Curtains were hung, white organza drifting gracefully to the floor over the windows and french doors. The long balcony had flowers planted everywhere, their floral scent drifting into the room. The spruce wood spread over the floor, creating a very nice effect indeed.

Furniture was next. Pine wood with a honey colored stain seemed to bring the space together perfectly. A dresser was stood on the far left, and two matching nightstands were placed on the far right. In between the nightstands was a California king sized bed, with a frame to match the other pieces of furniture. Vines were intricately carved over the foot of the bed and headboard, lazily twining around each other to create a delicate sort of look. The bed coverings were a soft sky blue with silver designs that shimmered in the sunlight. After a moment of thought, a fuzzy rug the same color as the walls appeared under the bed, large enough for a set of slippers on any side of it.

Matching lanterns appeared on the nightstands, with another appearing on the dresser. A rather nice perch for his owl was next, sitting prettily in the left corner by the window. Bookshelves were added in the opposite corner by the windows. They stopped just short of the door between the windows and bed. It conveniently connected their rooms, ensuring that he would be able to help Harry at a moments notice. He added another rug to the reading area and plopped a rather plush armchair down on top of it. The same blue as the bedsheets sparkled back at him from the chair.

After taking a moment to admire his handiwork, he rather grumpily admitted to himself that his entire manor needed redecorating. The way it was simply was atrocious in comparison to Harry's new room.

Drawing up his journal, he read the response that was waiting for him.

_It's alright. The Dursleys left this morning for a family holiday so I've been enjoying the peace. Tom smiled. The Dursleys wouldn't be there to taint Harry's birthday. That was good. Very good._

_Does that mean I'm allowed to come over today?_

_I guess if you want to. I've nothing else going on._

_I shall be there shortly._ Tom closed the journal softly and sighed. He hoped that his decorating skills weren't completely atrocious.


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

* * *

After the decorating, Tom showered and changed into his best muggle attire-dress pants, nice black shoes, a deep sapphire button down shirt and a black blazer. It simply wouldn't do to show up smelling of dust and looking like he just walked out of a crumbling building. He really needed to get those house elves to start cleaning properly again. Why he ever told them to leave the place a disaster was beyond him.

He apparated to the street Harry lived on and walked down the road towards his destination. He had brought his lock-picking tools, unwilling to break the wards in the house unless absolutely necessary.

It was easy to pick the lock to the front door, he had already done it once before, and not too long ago either. Searching in his mind for the boy, he realized he was sleeping. It wasn't a sound sleep, but much more restful than usual. The locks on his door took much longer-it seemed a few more were added since the last time he did this.

The first thing he saw was Harry, curled up on the floor. His face was scrunched up, no doubt due to whatever dream he was having. Tom walked to him quietly, and kneeled down next to him.

"Harry," he whispered. "Harry, it's time to go." Ever so gently, he touched the hand that wasn't under his head. Harry jerked away, his eyes flying open in panic. "Harry it's alright, you're sa-" He was cut off as Harry flung himself into his arms, violently shaking. He wrapped his hands around the young teen, not putting any pressure to show that he could leave his arms at any point. "You're safe Harry. It's time to go. Come on now, you must tell me where your things are." Harry hiccuped, wiping the tears from his face. He turned to grab his journal, the box and a photo album from beneath the floor behind him. Cradling them to his chest, he lowered his head.

"This is all I could sneak to my room. The rest is in my cupboard. They lock it all up every year." Harry was keeping his eyes on the ground, studiously ignoring Tom's face.

"Come, let's get your things." He led Harry out of the room and re-locked all the locks. It was more time consuming than opening them, but it was best he leave this place the way it was when he got here.

Opening the locks on the cupboard door went much faster than he could have believed. There was only the sliding lock and an old keyhole that came undone quite easily.

Four years of school supplies were stuffed into the small space, haphazardly strewn about. It was obvious that they had dumped everything out of the trunk after he got home just to show some form of disrespect to the magic flowing through harry's veins. Tom got to work, neatly folding robes so they would fit along with all the books and other supplies. He barely managed to get it all to fit, and even then he had to stand on the trunk while Harry sat by his feet to get it to lock shut.

Tom relocked the cupboard, leading Harry out the front door. He then relocked that shut and gently guided Harry to the middle of the street.

"Harry, have you ever been side-along apparated?" He shook his head. "Alright, grab my arm. The first time is always the worst. When I say three, take a deep breath in and try to exhale. I'll catch you if you fall." Harry nodded, wondering why the breathing was so important.

"One...two...three."

* * *

Harry inhaled and upon trying to exhale found that he was surrounded by intense pressure. His head swam with the feeling, but he managed to remember to let his breath out. When the pressure was gone, his knees crumpled beneath him.

The ground never came to meet his knees, however. Strong arms wrapped around his torso quickly, the trunk all but forgotten. Harry struggled to open his eyes, a sudden bout of nausea overcoming him. Suddenly the breathing made more sense.

"Here Harry, drink this. It will help." A vial was pressed to his lips and he opened his mouth, swallowing obediently. The nausea and vertigo dissipated almost immediately.

"Tom?" His voice was small, hesitant but he had regained some of his footing. "Where are we?" The arms were barely touching him now, a subtle reminder that he was safe but he could leave the embrace anytime he wanted.

"This, Harry, is my manor. It's a little...decrepit right now but I've done everything in my power to ensure that it will be brought to its former glory soon." He looked up at the building they were standing in front of.

It was...old for lack of a better term. The outside of the manor needed to be redone, the garden was little more than twigs and the occasional weed, the cobblestone path leading up to the house was half buried, and the doors looked like they would poof into dust if you touched them too roughly. He was being led to the manor now, all contact between them was gone. Tom was levitating his trunk in front of them and led him inside.

The inside was much of the same. Cobwebs, dark everything, too many shadows to be natural. He avoided looking anywhere but at Tom. He didn't want to know what sort of nightmares could be hiding beyond the darkness. It wasn't until Tom stopped that he looked up again.

He was face-to-face with a set of french doors. They were a soft white with gold delicate filigree designs that created a large rose in the middle of each of the doors. He looked up at Tom, wondering why they had stopped there.

Tom smiled down at his questioning gaze. "Happy fifteenth birthday Harry." The doors opened with a soft click, and Harry turned his attention to what lay beyond.

Whatever he was expecting, it wasn't this. Light colors contrasted with the dark wood trim and flooring. He looked around, letting his gaze roam over every detail. When his eyes caught sight of the bed, he gulped. He was suddenly bombarded with thoughts of this being Tom's room and him being expected to share a bed with him...and not innocently either.

"Harry, this is your new room. I'll be fixing up your bathroom this afternoon, I didn't have time to get to it yet. I was too anxious to see you out of that abhorred house." Harry's jaw dropped at the mention of it being _his_ room. Tom merely laughed.

"Yes, _your_ room." His trunk now lay on the floor in front of the bed. "You can put your things away later." Harry was being led to another door, one he hadn't noticed before by the reading nook. "This door leads to my room. You can enter if you wish, although I would appreciate it if you would knock first. I will not enter your room without your consent unless you are in pain and unable to respond. The balcony is yours to do with as you like, although please do keep in mind it does have access to my rooms as well so no wandering around naked out there." Harry nodded, too overwhelmed to say anything. Without warning, tears began streaming down his face.

"Th-thank you. You don't-I mean…" A sob wrenched its way out of his chest and he was suddenly enveloped in warmth as Tom pulled him to his chest.

"Hush now, you don't need to thank me." Tom stayed there, holding him and softly running his hands up and down his back until he calmed down. "Why don't you unpack? I can stay and help or I can lea-"

"NO!" The sudden outburst startled them both. "No, please. Stay. Please." He looked down, ashamed at himself for practically begging for company. "I don't want to be alone anymore…" He was surprised when Tom heard the last bit.

"I shall stay then, Harry. Let's get your things unpacked."

* * *

Tom levitated the trunk onto the foot of the bed before he started unpacking it. Clothes went in one pile, books in another. Loose sheets of parchment, quills and ink went to the lid of the trunk to prevent ink from soiling the new duvet. He handed Harry his wand back, politely telling him that he still couldn't use it outside of school for another two years but that no young wizard should be so thoroughly separated from their wand.

The clothes were next. All the muggle clothing was promptly vanished, followed by all the robes that wouldn't fit Harry anymore. Really there was no need to have robes around from your first year, it was a wonder Harry had kept them. Upon seeing the state of the longer robes, Tom realized that Harry really didn't have any sort of robes that were suitable for him. They were all incredibly unflattering cuts, and much too large. He was going to have to have Severus's tailor come by the manor sometime. He was a touch mad, but his eye for timeless fashion was immaculate.

Tom had Harry putting away the books in the reading corner, and grabbed the quills from the lid of the trunk. Every single one of them had broken nibs, most likely from being used for far too long and then being dumped all over the floor. He only left the best one of the bunch for Harry to use until he could have Mr. Jenkins bring him a selection from Amanuensis Quills. More ink too, as it looked like he was running low.

He jumped when Harry appeared by his side to start organizing the pile of parchments into a more manageable stack.

"Harry? Are you hungry?" He watched as Harry shrugged and gently, so gently that his fingers were a hair's width away from his skin, pulled his face up and looked into those pools of emerald. "You're allowed anything you want here. Including food. Anytime you want it. Just say the word." The response was so quiet, he almost missed it.

"Toast...or fruit please." Tom nodded and asked if he would like a drink too. "Just water, I can't…" The remainder of his sentence was unspoken but the implication was clear. His stomach wouldn't be able to do more. He nodded and left to fetch him some lunch with the promise of being right back.

When he returned, Harry was sitting on the floor and reading _Magical Theory_ with _The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1_) open next to him. Tom made a mental note to ask him why he was reading first year books when he was about to enter his fifth year at Hogwarts.

Conjuring a second chair to match the first and a dark spruce side table to put their lunch on, he had Harry sit in the chair. The boy would have to get used to using chairs rather than the floor.

Harry sat down and cautiously took a strawberry before taking a small bite. He seemed to be painfully aware that he couldn't eat too fast and was taking every precaution to make sure he didn't throw it all up.

Tom was busy making two cups of tea before scooting one to Harry. "Don't drink it if you can't stomach tea yet but smelling it should help your body relax. I don't want to give you too many potions all at once." At the mention of potions, he procured a nutrience potion and tipped it into an empty glass. "Here, drink this. I'll get you water once that's gone." A few minutes later and some more fruit was missing from the bowl as well as the potion being gone.

Tom poured him a glass of water in the same cup the potion had been in, determined not to waste a drop of it. He then sliced a strawberry in half before squeezing its juice into the water and did the same with a few blueberries. He passed the cup back so Harry could drink before picking up a piece of toast for himself.

If he was being honest with himself, he could get used to this-eating with someone. He didn't eat with others unless absolutely necessary, preferring to take his meals alone or with Nagini. The great beast would usually end up stealing half his plate anyway, providing more amusement than company when food was involved.

"Tom?" He looked up, pausing to put his teacup down.

"Yes Harry?" The internal struggle going on in his companion was hard to watch. Too many emotions flickered behind his eyes, too fast for him to get an accurate reading on any of them before they finally settled on nervousness and anticipation of being disappointed?

"Why did you rescue me? Is it just because I'm a horcrux?" Understanding flooded Tom's nerves. The boy was worried that the only reason he was helping was because of the horcrux.

"Listen to me very carefully Harry. I will always treasure you as a bearer of my horcrux. But rest assured, I would not have offered you a place in my home if I did not come to care about the person you are, about the man I hope you grow to be. If it were just because of the horcrux, I would have placed you in a dungeon somewhere and ensured you were given food and be done with it. But I like you, you've seen a part of me not even I've seen and with time I'd like to be able to see who you are too. Once you figure that part out, of course." Harry nodded, his eyes going back to the food. He had started at such a slow pace that he was able to finish most of the fruit and the cup of water.

"Thank you Tom.


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

* * *

After Harry had finished eating his fill, Tom stood.

"I think it's high time I take care of this bathroom of yours." He took off the blazer he was wearing and rolled his sleeves up before pulling out his wand and heading towards the door on the opposite side of the bed that the door to his bedroom was on. "Would you like to watch and pick what goes where or would you rather be surprised?"

"You mean, I have a choice?" Tom chuckled, and motioned for Harry to join him.

"Of course you have a choice. Come, something tells me you will enjoy seeing this." Harry came and stood in the bathroom with him, his eyes widening when he saw how large the room was. "Now, first thing's first. The floor." He transformed the floor from light pine wood to a darker slate limestone and then to a smooth cobblestone. "Do you have a preference? I can always change the color, but I'd like to know what material you like best."

"The cobblestone? I like stone." His voice was quiet and unsure.

"Cobblestone it is. Do you want lighter or darker?" Harry shrugged, so he changed the stones from a light eggshell color all the way down to almost black.

"I sort of liked the greyish blue, the dark one." Tom changed the floor back to the dark slate cobblestone. "Yeah, but maybe less grey? Like more of...more of the color of your shirt I suppose." His cheeks flushed a light pink and Tom smiled to himself as he adjusted the colors of the cobblestones to sapphire blue. Some of the stones he adjusted to be lighter and darker for some contrast as an afterthought.

The walls came next, and they settled on a light neutral grey. To the left of the door, Tom added a long vanity with a waterfall sink in the middle. He colored the cabinets a medium to dark grey with silver filigree to match all the doors. The faucet and counter were both black although the counter had silver veins running through it. A toilet was put behind a privacy wall, the same black as the sink fixtures.

"Shower or tub next Harry?"

"Shower I suppose. Maybe along the back wall? I'd rather have the tub closer to the door." Tom nodded, creating a large walk-in shower along the back wall. The sides were all glass and completely crystal clear so they could see the inside.

It was spacious, the floor changing to a light grey with silver and black veins. The walls that it was butted up against had changed to a sea of long thin rectangles of silver, black and greys. There was a large bench on the back wall, large enough that if he wanted Harry could just lay down and rest. There were several cut-outs lined with all silver tiles for Harry to put hygienic products. The whole thing was complete once the entire roof of the shower was made into several rainfall shower heads.

"You'll be able to turn them on all at once or you can control which ones stay off. You can even adjust the temperature. I've done something similar with my bathroom and let me tell you, a normal shower just won't cut it any longer."

"But isn't it a little...excessive?"

"Harry, if you feel that it is still too much later on then I can change it for you. But I'm confident you'll want to leave it as is. Now for the tub." Tom left no room for argument, creating a tub that lined up with the ground. A slope was added, allowing the tub to get almost five feet deep. Along the sides he added large benches that would adjust to the bather's height to prevent drowning. Several faucets to match the sink were added, one for hot water, one for cold water, another for bubble bath and yet another for bath oils. A large jar of bath salt was placed next to the faucets. The inside of the tub was colored the same as the floor. It would create the illusion of bathing in the night sky once the tub was filled.

Large plush rugs designed to absorb water were placed near the tub and shower and towels the same color as the walls were added to cutouts of the wall between the two. He added a warming charm to ensure that the towels would always be warm for Harry. There was, after all, nothing better than a warm towel after a long soak.

After a moment of thought, he changed the outdated light to a sapphire chandelier. It sparkled and shone proudly, casting the entire bathroom in an otherworldly glow. He heard a small gasp from next to him.

Harry's face was lit up with wonder. He couldn't help but ask himself how long it had been for Harry to see magic like this. Or even if he had seen magic being used in such a way before.

"Happy birthday Harry." Harry looked up at him. Ah, now he knew what it was. Harry's eyes were practically overflowing with hope.

"Thank you." The words held an immense amount of gratitude.

"It's my pleasure. But for now, tell me why it is that you're reading first years books rather than your newer ones." He steered Harry to the bedroom, plopping him down in his chair and having their plate refilled with fruit.

Harry obediently plopped a grape in his mouth. "Well, I never really got the chance to study. You know why during the summer. During school, I was constantly being thrown into dangerous situations and worrying about what was going to happen to me. Everyone around me was putting so much pressure on me the first year telling me I was bound to beat you that I had a hard time concentrating on anything. Then there was always some big catastrophe that I had to investigate because Dumbledore wasn't stopping the issues so I felt like I had to. Didn't help that last year I needed to spend all my free time trying to figure out useless clues in order to survive a bloody game. I was never taught the theory behind magic and I thought that maybe since I had my books again I could begin to understand how magic works and how I can get a better hold on it-" Tom cut him off at this.

"A better hold on it? You mean you're still experiencing accidental magic?" Harry nodded, grabbing another grape. "Harry, accidental magic is supposed to stop around the age of eight or nine except in extreme circumstances. I think, once your magic realizes there's no harm for you here, that it'll stop happening. But that's besides the point. If you would like, I can teach you what you need to know about the theory behind magic." Harry nodded eagerly.

* * *

For once, magical theory made sense! The way Tom explained it was much more practical than how the books presented it and Harry was finding it much easier to understand. Once he realized that he could reach out to his magical core (and that he had a magical core for that matter) suddenly a lot of things that he found difficult made much more sense. Tom answered all of his questions, and even joined him in his mind to help guide him to where his core was and how to interact with it.

When he came back out of his mind, his cheeks were flushed with excitement, the wonder of magic hitting him full-on like it had when he had first seen Hogwarts. Tom was smiling at him, no doubt enjoying seeing someone experience the wonder of magic so strongly. He smiled back tentatively.

"What is the one subject at Hogwarts that has given you the most trouble?"

"Potions." Harry's answer was immediate, with no hesitation. "I don't count divination and astrology is difficult for me to follow but I understand the theory kind of. Potions was always the one thing that was out of my reach completely." Tom nodded, a thoughtful expression on his face.

"Then I shall teach you potions as you seem eager to learn. It's obvious that Severus has let his ego and image get in the way of teaching students properly. We shall start on that tomorrow. For now, it is late. Rest for now Harry, we will have a busy day tomorrow. I'm having a tailor coming tomorrow afternoon to fit you for new robes and muggle attire and you will be learning the art of potion making."

Harry nodded, his eyes glancing at the bed with caution.

"I will not come in unless you are unable to answer me. As I've mentioned, my room is on the other side of that wall. Is there anything I can get you to make you more comfortable?"

"It's just so big…"

"Well, I'm not about to shrink it down. But amongst the pillows are a few full-body ones you can surround yourself with. I believe that will help you overcome the idea that your bed is an actual bed now." Tom stood and left, shutting the door softly behind him.

Harry undressed slowly, the cloth of his clothes scraping against his skin uncomfortably. Once the shirt hit the floor, it vanished. He was happy to see it go and hoped it would not be returning.

He filled his tub with hot water, bubbles, bath oil and bath salts. It was a light blue sea of foam that smelled of vanilla, strawberries and cinnamon. Once he walked into it, his muscles started to relax. It had been so long since he had bathed last that he had almost forgotten what it was like to be clean.

He grabbed the bar of soap that had appeared next to the tub and ran the bar over every spot of his body. As he scrubbed, he thought about the days events. He had been rescued by one of the most dangerous wizards alive and was now soaking in a tub that was made specifically for him. Flashes of nasty ulterior motives flew through his mind but he pushed them all to the side. After all, if Tom wanted him for physical reasons then he wouldn't have been given a room or a bathroom. He wouldn't have been given his wand back or been taught about the theory of magic. He wouldn't be learning about potions the next day.

Harry would be the last to admit it, but he was curious about potions. There was just something about how different things would react together to create a potion that could, quite literally, save you from the brink of death. It almost reminded him of cooking, except he didn't have the foggiest idea how potions ingredients worked. It was always last on his list as the professor for potions quite clearly hated him and seemed to take pleasure in telling students they messed up but not _why_ they had messed up. He would just have to see if there was anything to his interest with potions tomorrow.

After awhile, his skin started complaining about how many times he had washed himself. Upon spotting the shampoo that had also appeared, he lathered up his head and washed his hair several times before all the dried blood and semen finally came out.

When he finally got out of the tub, his skin was wrinkled and cleaner than it had been in weeks. Catching a glimpse of himself in the mirror, he let his gaze wander.

His ribs were far too prominent to be healthy, although it wasn't as bad as it had been in years past. His arms were entirely too skinny, although his elbows weren't sticking out as much as they did when he made it back to school last year. His legs were thin, but didn't look sickly. He had thicker thighs due to all the quidditch, which helped his legs look healthier than the rest of him. Old scars glittered in the light of the chandelier, while new cuts threatened to mar the rest of his skin. His back was littered with old and new marks, most of which spelled out horrid things. A tear slid down his cheek before he turned to get dressed in the pajamas that appeared.

There was a note lying atop them, written in the same handwriting as the responses from his journal.

_These are the softest pajamas I could find in my wardrobe. They shouldn't irritate your skin while it heals, although they'll likely be too big. If there's anything you need, don't hesitate to ask._

He smiled as he ran his fingers over the fabric. The pale green silk was so fine, it almost slithered out of his fingers. He dressed, and pulled down the duvet on his bed. There were two large body pillows under the covers, which he lined up on either side of where he would sleep. Once the journal was on the nightstand closest to him, he climbed in and started to write.

_Thank you for the pajamas. You're right, they don't hurt at all but they are too large for me right now. I enjoy the color, although I didn't peg you to be one for pastels._

_Although I'm glad to hear they're to your liking, I resent the comment about pastels. They are spring green. That's entirely different than_ _pastel._


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

* * *

The next day found Harry standing in the middle of his room being poked and prodded every now and again by an old wizard who looked suspiciously like he would fall over at any moment.

"Alright look here sonnie, you need to get out of these blasted pajamas. Tom why on _Earth_ would you put him in something that doesn't fit him at all?!" Tom rolled his eyes and explained to him that it was all he had for the teen even though he knew his argument was falling on deaf ears. "Hmm," Harry felt his stomach being poked a little harder and winced. "Yes, off with the pajamas sonnie. I can't measure you properly when you have clothes on already. I'll be back in a few minutes." The old man promptly shuffled out of the door, leaving Harry and Tom on their own.

"He's right Harry. He can't possibly measure you this way, the pajamas will crumble up under his measuring tapes and cause your fit to be off. I can leave if you'd like." Harry shook his head, his body starting to shake ever so slightly. "N-no you can stay. I just...I don't want you to think differently of me…" Tom stood, taking Harry's hands in his.

"I understand how you feel. But I will have to see the extent of the damage they have done sooner or later. Frederick won't be back for at least half an hour, and I'm sure I can heal most of what hasn't healed already." Harry nodded, but didn't make any move to undress himself. Tom let go of his hands and slowly unbuttoned his shirt. Tom's red eyes never left his, kindness swirling in their depths. When the shirt fell open, he closed his eyes. He didn't want to see the pity that would appear as soon as he looked down.

He heard the small gasp and felt a featherlight touch tracing the scar that trailed from his left shoulder to his right hip. Vernon had given him that on a particularly nasty day when he had lost two major deals in one shift. He winced as Tom's other hand gently caressed a blue bruise on his shoulder. Suddenly the hands were gone although he could sense that Tom was still there.

The hands were back, a warm feeling following them. His eyes flew open as the warm sensation grew warmer. Tom was applying some sort of salve to his injuries and to his surprise the bruises were going away. It was slow progress, but the blue faded to greenish yellow until it was the same as the rest of his skin. Tom didn't say anything, he just moved on to all the other injuries on his chest before moving around to his back. He felt the silk being gently removed from his back and slipped his hands out of the sleeves.

Something in the air changed as his back was revealed. Tom had stilled, a growl emanating from his chest. Harry's arms wrapped themselves around his front, embarrassment and shame making him hang his head. Suddenly the noise stopped, and Tom got to work on his back.

When Fredrick burst back into the room, he smiled. "Right as rain sonnie, I'll have your proper measurements in a jiffy now. Here now, put your arms up…" The measurements took a relatively short amount of time. Much less than the lecture he had received to begin with about wearing pajamas that didn't fit him properly.

After Fredrick left, Harry hung his head once more. His secret was out, or at least a part of it. He might not be able to read backwards but he knew enough to know what some of the words carved into his back were.

"Harry, would you come here? I didn't get to finish earlier." Tom's voice was soft, but there was no pity hidden within it. He went to stand in front of the man that was sat in an armchair. Without warning, he was pulled onto his lap and cradled to his chest. A gentle hand was repositioning his arm and then rubbing more salve into the wounds. The cuts warmed as his flesh knit itself back together. Only the worst of them left small silver lines. Tom repeated this on his left arm, although that one took longer as it was were the majority of the damage took place. Before he knew it, he was drifting off to sleep.

Harry woke to find himself in Tom's arms still. He yawned and rubbed his eyes. A quiet chuckle came from below his ear.

"Well, it seems you waking up is just as adorable as you sleeping. Now come, I believe it is time to teach you about potions."

* * *

Tom led Harry to the potions lab he had redone the night before. It didn't need much, just a good cleaning and lighter stone. He had replaced the table with a new one, and given the place several stools as well. Severus might be content to stand while brewing but Tom wasn't a fan of that for long periods of time.

He taught Harry the difference between most of the ingredients and explained what they do and how they react to one another. Harry seemed to keep up, although it was obvious some of the finer points he would forget. He walked Harry through the Wiggenweld potion, only to find that Harry had some rather good questions.

"But wait, why is wolfsbane going into a healing potion? Isn't it poisonous?"

"Well, yes it is poisonous. But only the leaves are poisonous, the flowers are rather good for pain relief. The mint emphasizes the pain relief properties and the wolfsbane actually emphasizes the healing qualities in the mint as well as the lionfish spines which on their own, also harbor toxic properties." Harry nodded and they continued with the potion.

"There, now I'd say that looks rather perfect." Harry beamed up at him.

"I think I'm going to like learning potions from you. It's amazing that I just learned about potions, I'm used to just doing what the instructions say and always making a mistake somehow. Class is very distracting, especially when the professor hovers." Tom nodded, understanding only too well. Dumbledore must have not wanted Harry to like anything other than Defense Against the Dark Arts, making sure that all the other teachers made their subjects as boring as possible.

"Well Harry, anytime you'd like to learn something just say so and I shall teach it to you. For now, it is time to eat. Come, I daresay you look like a cup of tea would do you good."

They sat down and Harry managed to finish all the fruit within half an hour. His cup of tea was half gone as well.

"Tom? Is it alright if I have some soup as well? The fruit is wonderful but…" He nodded, not needing Harry to elaborate. If Harry wanted soup, then soup he would get. It brightened his mood to see Harry eat more and he had a selection of soups brought up.

Harry managed to eat an entire bowl of tomato soup. Tom had kept up pleasant conversation, hoping to learn more about the teen in front of him. He still avoided most of the personal questions.

"Harry, why do you trust me?" He seemed to take him by surprise there.

"What? I don't trust you. I don't trust anyone. Not really."

Tom shook his head. "No, you trust me. You fell asleep in my arms yesterday and you trusted me to help you heal your back and arms. You trusted me when I sent you the journal and you trusted me when I came to get you." He watched Harry carefully, smiling slightly when he saw that he was blushing.

"You were the only one who cared enough to notice that I was being abused outside of Hogwarts." The words were carefully calculated and slow to leave his mouth.

"Believe it or not Harry, I have come to care for you. I would not harm you. I know that must be hard to accept, but it is the truth. You house a part of my soul, but mostly Harry I have come to care about what happens to you. I want to ensure your safety and well-being since I was the one to rip that away from you in the first place. Besides," Harry took a sip of his tea, "I think you rather enjoy being taken care of." He stood to leave as Harry sputtered around his drink.

"I-you...I don't…I'm not-" the younger man's voice raised in indignation.

"It's alright Harry, we all enjoy being looked after. Now, I will be retiring early tonight. Just knock if you need anything." He smiled at Harry and closed the door to his room quietly. He hoped that they would make more progress the next day.

* * *

Tom panted, feeling a tongue lazily graze a trail from one side of his chest to the other. His eyes were open, but he couldn't see anything._ A blindfold,_ he thought. His arms weren't held down, but he did feel a heaviness in his limbs that prevented him from wanting to move. _A semi-paralyzing potion? I wonder who it is I've trusted enough to do this. Not that I'm complaining..._His thoughts were interrupted by a nip at his neck. He sighed in pleasure and rolled his head over to allow more access to the column of skin.

The mouth sucked on his flesh, nipping and kissing along the way until he was certain he'd be marked until the end of time. He felt hair graze his chin. It was shorter hair, ruling out any women he knew. Practically gasping for air as that tongue moved down his stomach to dash over to his hip, he took stock of what he knew.

It was a very short list.

The person with him had short hair, he had been drugged with a mild paralyzing potion, he was blindfolded and if the hardness pressing into his leg was any indicator he was with another man.

His thoughts flew away as soft lips met his throbbing member.

Gentle kisses were placed all over his manhood, dragging whimpers and pleas from his throat. Without warning, he was suddenly enveloped by the mouth, that devilish tongue darting out to taste him randomly. His hips tried bucking on their own, but were held fast by that potion. He tried to talk, but the words wouldn't form. He could only whimper and groan as the sensations dragged him to the precipice. Except, something was stopping him from sweet release. _It's that damn potion._ He whimpered, not caring anymore that he sounded as dignified as a legless toad.

The mouth started moving slower, the teasing ministrations becoming more drawn out. A nose pressed into him as the throat swallowed and hummed at the same time.

Tom bucked his hips into the air as he came. It wasn't until he opened his eyes that he realized it had been a dream and that now he was in uncomfortably sticky pants.

_Damn it Thomas, you haven't done that since you were twelve!_

He cleaned himself off and lay back down before travelling back into his mind.

_Seriously, what on earth are you thinking?_ His teen self was berating him something fierce for having such an explosive wet dream. He rolled his eyes while he tried to ignore the dreams that threatened to leak out of his link with Harry.

* * *

Harry woke up from the most bizarre dream he ever had. He had dreamt that someone was in his bed with him and was kissing him. Just kissing him. No groping, no sexual tension. Just languid kisses that spoke more of exploration and love than anything else. The only thing he knew was that it was a man he was kissing, if the lack of breasts were anything to go by. He fell back asleep, wanting to return to the calmness of the dream he had just left.


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

* * *

The next day sunlight woke Harry up. It was just starting to leak into his room, brightening the space. There was a pile of boxes on the floor by his armchair along with a note on top of them.

He got out of bed and padded to the bathroom to brush his teeth and relieve himself before reading the note.

_Here's the robes Fredrick made. The muggle clothes are already hung in your wardrobe. I was interrupted by one of my idiots making a grave error this morning. I should be back shortly for breakfast._

Setting aside the note, he sat down and opened the first box so he could start to put his new clothes away.

The first box was filled with a ruby red robe and a black lining. It reminded him of Tom's eyes. When he hung it up, he searched through the muggle attire as well. Soft cotton t-shirts, even softer silk button down shirts, two suits: one grey and one black, a pair of black sneakers and a pair of black leather shoes. The next box had three sets of black robes. They all had the same filigree design sewn into them with matching linings although the lining and thread differed for each robe. A deep green, an even deeper blue and interestingly enough, a royal purple.

The next few sets of robes were similar. A new couple of robes for school with the Hogwarts crest although these looked like they would fit him much nicer than all his others. A new quidditch robe that would likely hug him closely to cut down on drag. He paused when he opened the last box, as baby blue velvet caught his gaze. The lining was the same silk that the pajamas he had been wearing was made out of, but in silver. The blue velvet practically screamed 'touch me' and Harry quickly dressed. It hung a little, no doubt the clothes had been made with the assumption that he would be filling out before school started. He practically ran to the mirror in the bathroom and gasped.

There before him was someone that couldn't possibly be him. He wasn't used to noticing how dark his hair was or how light his skin had gotten. And he especially wasn't used to thinking that his reflection was quite attractive once you got over how thin he was.

He took off the blue robes before turning his attention back to the last box. This one contained two plain robes, one black and one charcoal. The charcoal robes were slung on as they felt a bit softer than the black ones. There was a heavy winter cloak with the filigree on it to match some of the other robes at the bottom of the box.

A gentle knock came at the door from the hallway.

"Harry, could I come in?" Harry simply opened the door in response and waved him in before thanking him for the robes. "Well, I'm glad you like them. I shudder to think how well the others will look on you if the plain ones look this good. I figured we could eat some lunch and then you must focus on your studies while I finish up with these damn followers I have."

They ate in a comfortable silence, neither one of them wanting to break the quiet. Eventually, Harry's curiosity got the better of him.

"What happened to make you so upset at them?" The older man sighed and rolled his eyes.

"Nothing that can't be fixed. Apparently some of my less loyal decided to act on my behalf last night and had to be stopped by my most trusted. It gained the media's attention; however, no one was hurt. At least this will work in my favor." He continued, upon Harry's questioning gaze. "The ones that decided to act negatively were effectively stopped by people that were rumoured to be working for me in the past. This will make it easier for people to believe that Dumbledore let his followers get ahead of themselves and will further their scepticism of him." Harry nodded and took another bite of his sandwich.

"So...now that you aren't trying to kill me, what are you going to do?" Tom shrugged, a little too nonchalantly. "Oh, come off it. I've been manipulated my whole life, what is it you're planning?"

"Alright. I've reabsorbed my horcruxes, all except yours that is." Harry's mouth fell open. Of all the things he had expected to hear, that wasn't among them. It was mind blowing to him that the man once obsessed with immortality willingly made himself mortal again. Well, mostly mortal.

"Really Harry, one would think you were raised by Fenrir." A gentle hand nudged his chin so he would close his mouth. He felt his cheeks warm, no doubt being stained with a pink hue. "I believe the next step for us is to publicly announce to the press what we really want. True reform, for things to change for the better and to see them followed through. Far too many things get passed in the ministry without ever really seeing a resolution until many, many years later. Change is slow, and that bothers me with how many people work there." Harry nodded, and went back to the sandwich in front of him.

* * *

They finished lunch, both of them lost in their thoughts. But Tom couldn't help it, he was picking up loose ends of half-finished thoughts that weren't his and he was curious. One seemed to agree with his stance on the ministry, another was about the decent night of rest and suddenly the thought about last night got stronger and he followed it.

_A warm body was resting on him, the weight just enough to be comforting but not smothering. A hand gently carded through his hair while soft lips met. It was nothing heated, just calming. Gentle caresses sparked a warm trail that led straight to his heart and made him lightheaded with a happiness he had never known until then. The kisses changed, occasionally the other would slip his tongue in his mouth, while other times he would do the same. Explorations were slow and thorough, while arms encased him and brought on the overwhelming feeling of safety. Neither man was in charge, but it was clear that the god on him was very gently moving things forward and keeping a metaphorical eye out for things becoming too much. It was sweet, it was safe. It was heaven. Their kiss came to a slow stop and their lips curved upwards in happiness. He gently leaned upwards-_

Just before he could see who it was, the memory stopped. Tom had just enough time to regain his composure before Harry returned from the depths of his mind. His cheeks were stained red now, and his eyes held a spark somewhere deep in their depths.

"What's on your mind, Harry?" Tom poured himself another cup of tea as he waited for an answer.

"N-nothing. It's nothing."

"Come now, you don't expect me to believe that. You were so lost in your own thoughts, you practically dragged me with you. Dumbledore didn't have you practicing mind magic now did he?" His tone was light, carrying a genuine curiosity.

"No, what do you mean? What's mind magic? And how did I almost drag you with me-oh no, you didn't see what I was...did you?" Tom decided to ignore the second question and answer the first instead in the hopes that he could distract the boy.

"Mind magic is simply that: magic that you can perform with your mind. Essentially: mind reading, blocking others from reading your mind, emotional manipulation and the like."

"But, you didn't...did you…?"

"Harry, I will not lie to you. I did see what you saw. And I must say, I rather enjoyed it. I am sorry for intruding, although it is like I said-you practically dragged me there to begin with." Harry's mouth opened and closed a few times before words finally made it out.

"I...You...But, you can't have…" Tom let out an amused laugh.

"I can't what, Harry? I can't have enjoyed it? I did, immensely. It's been many, many years since I've been with anyone and even longer since I've enjoyed anything of the sort." If it was even possible, Harry's blush deepened. "Are you embarrassed because it was with another man or because I saw it?"

Harry looked down and brought his knees to his chest to wrap his arms around. "Both, I guess. Especially considering...well what's happened to me and all." Tom nodded.

"It doesn't make you weird. Or a freak. Or different. It simply means that when things are done safely with someone you're attracted to and trust, you prefer men that way. I must admit, I'm disappointed I didn't get to see who it was you shared that moment with. You must trust him an awful lot to envision such care and tenderness." He leaned forward and rested his hand on Harry's shoulder. "You are not abnormal for this Harry. You crave the feeling of being safe and loved-no one can blame you for that. I will not say anything to anyone unless you wish me to. After all, we've been keeping each other's secrets for awhile now." He stood and turned towards the door.

"Now, would you like to watch me fix up the rest of this wing? The elves may have cleaned the place up, but it is in dire need of some redecorating."

* * *

Harry watched, enthralled as Tom recarved tall pillar after tall pillar and added in touches of silver filigree in the library. This was the last room they had to do, and he was exhausted just from watching all the concentration.

He was mortified, of course, that Tom had seen what he had dreamed of the night before. But he was happy that someone was kind enough to explain to him that he wasn't a freak for wanting something like that. He didn't want to be pressured or held up to any expectations, he just wanted to be taken care of. And that was how his mind had interpreted being taken care of, apparently.

Throughout the day, house elves dressed in emerald green suits with the dark mark stitched into the breast pockets had brought him snacks to munch on as he watched Tom tackle problem after problem. It was enthralling to watch, even more so when larger projects came up and the magic was almost tangible in the air. He liked those moments best. The feeling of Tom's magic washing over him was a heady feeling, and made him feel quite warm despite there being no fires lit in any of the rooms they had repaired that day.

When they finally stopped, the sun was starting to set and a house elf was practically climbing on his master to get him to stop for dinner. It wasn't until Harry put a hand on his wand arm that he stopped repairing a bookshelf.

"Tom, it's time for dinner. Let's stop for today." He smiled up at him, hoping it would get him to see reason and allow the project to be resumed later.

It worked.

"Alright Harry. Let's eat dinner."

"Sirs, there be followers waiting for yous in the dining rooms as well." The house elf twisted his hands around, obviously not wanting to be punished for interrupting. Tom groaned.

"Oh now what? Did they say why they were here?"

"Yes, Sirs, they is waiting for yous to announce the next steps Sirs." Tom asked if Bellatrix was there, and was somewhat disappointed to hear she was, before the house elf hurried off to serve dinner. He let out a sigh and turned to Harry.

"You don't have to be a part of this if you don't wish to be. However, if you would like to come, I have had a...well, a special uniform made for you if you'd like to witness what happens. You will not be harmed or recognized, and it's only if you want to. You can leave at any time, even without an explanation." Harry nodded, deciding he didn't want to be left out of the loop anymore.

"I don't want to fight, but I don't want to be held in the dark anymore either. I would like to listen." Tom nodded and they walked back to Harry's room. He walked through the door to his room, allowing Harry to look in for the first time.

It was done similarly to his room but rather than blue it was a light lavenders and lilacs that accented the cream. He watched as Tom came back with a plain robe box for him and place it on his bed. He slowly lifted the lid of the box, not sure what to expect. _I wonder how they will differ from everyone else's…he did say it was a special uniform-whatever that means._

The robes were crimson, with the telltale glint of silver acromantula thread woven within it. He could tell there was black thread stitching, although he couldn't tell what it was. His attention was drawn to the mask sitting on top of the neatly folded pile.

It wasn't a full face mask, although it would look more elegant than masks you see at a masquerade. It was the color of dark blood, with silver so shiny it looked like liquid. The silver made the shape of several snakes intertwined with each other and rubies, each the size of his pinky nail, were expertly cut and glinted from below the outer corner of each of the eyes.

"My eyes are sort of distinct, you know." His voice was thick with emotion, overwhelmed at the intricacy and forethought that had to go into the designing.

"There's a spell over it that will disguise your eyes to be the same shade of red as mine. It's a show of power, that if they wish to attack you, they wish to attack me as well. Each ruby is a portkey too. When it is on, the left will take you to your room and the right will transport you to Severus's home. He has a safe room set up for you, should you ever need to use it." Harry's eyes widened at the mention of Snape.

"But...but Dumbledore trusts him, how can you be sure I'd be safe there? He hates me!" Tom gently shushed him, sensing his rising panic.

"Dumbledore and I have both made one very grave mistake regarding Severus. He is not on Dumbledore's side and he is not on my side. He is on _your_ side, Harry, and will do what he must to protect you. I cannot tell you why, as it is not my confession to divulge; however, know this: Severus has _never_ hated you. Oh, he tried. But he simply can't. Now, I enjoy making my followers sweat a little having to wait for me when they called upon me, but I'm afraid we must either get you dressed or I must join them." Harry nodded and went to put the mask on before he was interrupted.

"You are not obligated to stay. Just remember that. You can get up and walk out at any moment if you wish and you do not have to explain yourself. I will find you after. And the portkeys both have the same password. It is **_safety._** Just touch the ruby that corresponds with where you wish to go and remember to do it in parseltongue or it will not work." Harry nodded and put the mask to the side, deciding to put it on after the rest of the ensemble.

Under the robes were a pair of black trousers and a black silk shirt that went higher up his neck than he was used to. He tilted his head, trying to make sense of the clasp and how it was supposed to work. "Tom, I'm not sure I know how…" his voice trailed off.

"It's alright Harry. Put on your trousers, I'll help you with the rest. It can be quite intimidating, but it's easier than it looks." The man turned, giving him a bit of privacy to change his pants before turning around once Harry's shirt was on the bed.

* * *

Tom turned and caught sight of Harry's bare chest once again. He would never tire of seeing it, even with the scars. Silently berating himself for thinking such things, he helped Harry into the shirt and did all the buttons before clipping the ruby cufflinks together and tying the crimson scarf in an intricate knot at his neck. The robes followed, with the black lining of the sleeves hugging his arms quite nicely and stopping about halfway down his hands. A slight detailing of crimson lace peeked out from the ends, giving his hands a wonderful contrast. The rest of the sleeves were larger than average robes, allowing for maximum movement with minimal hinderance should he ever need to battle his way out of something.

He clasped the robes together at the front. They started at hip height and ended just below the knot he had tied earlier. Small rubies glistened in the silver hardware they were mounted in. The black stitching, when looked at closely, made the shape of snakes winding lazily around each other. He led Harry to the bathroom, to allow him to look in the mirror.

The boy was in shock, it seemed. His face was frozen in place while he drank in his own appearance. Surprise washed across the room in waves, and it was all he could do to maintain his own emotions with it. When Harry turned to see the back, he gasped at the large dark mark that was sewn into the fabric.

"Tom…" He didn't respond, merely gazed upon his once-enemy as he gently placed the mask on his face. It didn't need ties, as magic held it in place and would be as seamless to Harry as a second skin. It wouldn't even impede his vision..

"You look incredible. Far better than I had imagined. I must say, I believe I need to update my own robes now." He led Harry back to his room and changed quickly, using magic to do his buttons and tie his scarf. They were the same design, but Tom's were all black with no glimmering in the light.

"Now. Let's go introduce you to my followers."


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

* * *

Tom led Harry straight down to the formal dining room where he held his meetings. Motioning for Harry to stay behind him, he opened the door and looked out over the bowed heads.

"My followers, such patience for waiting. Would someone like to explain to me why you all decided to call me to my own meeting?" His voice held a dangerous glint to it.

"Y-yes my Lord, we meant no harm by it. We merely wished for your wise words, if that is amicable to you." Lucious was practically shivering in his boots, but the years in politics served him well as his voice only paused once.

"Lucious, relax. I'm not going to punish you for seeking counsel for our plans. The lack of warning was...an inconvenience. But fear not! I was going to call a meeting with you all shortly anyway. Call it water under the bridge, if you will." Everyone sat up just a bit straighter, wondering why he was going to call a meeting so soon after their last one anyway.

"You may be wondering, why I have yet to take my proper seat at the table and why the table has changed since the last time we were here. It is now wide enough for two at the head of it. Come now, don't look so shocked. Don't tell me you've all grown soft and have neglected to notice that?" Heads quickly bowed and quiet affirmations that they had, indeed, noticed followed.

"My Lord, we simply were not expecting you to mention it."

"Thank you Avery. That will do. I am going to introduce you all to someone who is, under no circumstances, to be harmed. You will not be receiving a name, until I deem all of you worthy. To attack him, in any way, is to attack me. Do you understand?" Nods and affirmations followed with curiosity. "Bellatrix, DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME?! I will NOT tolerate your blatant disregard for my authority any longer. I know Azkaban has addled your senses, but you WILL NOT HARM WHO IS ABOUT TO WALK THROUGH THIS DOOR." The walls practically shook with the raw magic surrounding the room.

"Yes Master. As you wish. But if you should change your mind-"

"I won't." Tom cut her off, not wanting her to get any more ideas in her head. "Now, I would like you all to welcome our newest member." He stepped forward and just off to the side so only half of Harry could be seen.

A collective breath was being held in the room as looked up at them from under his hood. He heard someone gasp in shock.

"My Lord, is this your...forgive me. It is not my place to be asking such a personal question. Forgive me my Lord...my Lords." Lucious knelt to the ground, practically falling in his haste with his silver hair gleaming from under his robes.

"You're right Lucious. It was not your place to ask." The man on the floor tensed. "However, I will forgive you. This must have been a great shock to you all, after knowing me for so long." At this, Bellatrix shrieked and stood from her spot.

"Master, you cannot be serious!" Bellatrix practically crawled onto the table. "This whelp, whoever it is, cannot _possibly_ please you the way I can! The way I have! I can do things no one else can, I-"

"SILENCE!" She shrank back into her seat. "You will do well to remember that nothing ever happened between us. It is all a fantasy, in your head. Azkaban twisted a few screws the wrong way and I will not have you thinking you are entitled to me." He pointed his wand at her and she paled as she looked from one to the other.

"Ma...Master, you...you've given him your eyes. I am sorry," her voice broke as she looked down and stood to leave. "I do not deserve to be in your presence." She turned and left through the kitchen door without a backwards glance and her head hung low.

* * *

"My Lord?" Harry didn't recognize the voice at first, but recognition soon sank in as more words poured forth once he was given permission to speak. "Is it true? Did you give him your eyes?" Everyone at the table leaned in, waiting for the answer with bated breath.

"Yes. You will do well to remember this. LeStrange, when I dismiss this meeting you are to find her and fill her in on what she has missed. She will be excluded from the next few meetings until I find a use for her, but she will be kept informed of what is happening." Tom led Harry to a chair slightly smaller than Tom's. He was just grateful that it was

charmed to be extremely well cushioned.

"Now, what is it you all have come here to ask me?" Lucious cleared his throat and explained all that had happened in the ministry the last few days. It seemed that Dumbledore was really making a mess of himself with all the accusations being thrown around in the Wizarding media.

"What we wished to know, is how do you wish to proceed with Potter? You said yourself that we are not to be concerned with him anymore, but do we allow him to go to school and be further corrupted to that idiot's ideas or do we step in and intercept him?" Tom shook his head.

"Potter will be dealt with by me. I will be deciding if he goes to Hogwarts or not this year behind closed doors. Severus? You recall our conversation not too long ago, I presume?" The potions master nodded. "Good, now will you be pursuing the truth to that...situation?"

"If it is...amicable to you." His hesitation did not go unnoticed by his peers, but they didn't question it.

"Perfect. We shall speak at a later date over tea about this. Do some research into the legalities of it in the meantime." Harry tilted his head ever so slightly, wondering what all that could mean and if someone was going to tell him or not. "Now, if he goes to Hogwarts and it comes to light that Dumbledore has not legal right over him what will be the fallout?"

"Likely he will claim documents were fudged. It is best to handle these things through the goblins if at all possible as they are not swayed by outside influences. But then he would have to actually be, legally, someone else's charge. There would be no getting around that."

"And if Dumbledore really does have guardianship over him?"

"Then it is best we find a way to besmirch his name so thoroughly that no one can consider it a possibility that he continue with his charge either in or out of school. This would also have to go through the goblins, which will be a difficult task as they rarely see fit to remove charges from their guardians when they do not live together."

Silence filled the room after that statement. Not even Harry could fathom what was going through Tom's mind so when Tom turned to him, Harry's eyes widened.

"What do you think Potter will think of this? He has a reputation for being...close with Dumbledore, to say the least. Do you think he's aware of the legalities surrounding his guardianship or if he would be upset by that being disrupted if he is?" Getting the hint rather quickly, he shook his head.

"No, I don't think he's aware of how most of the legal system works. Especially with a subject as delicate as this. Everyone seems to either be completely against him and barr him unnecessarily or they bend every rule completely out of shape for him. He likely won't have any clue that he even has a guardian in our world. As for him and Dumbledore, I cannot say what happens behind closed doors. But if that old codger treats him the way he treats everyone else, then he won't be bothered by the guardianship change. I wouldn't be surprised if he's withholding information of his own." His voice had flashed dangerously throughout his little tirade at the thought of being left out of even more of his own life.

"Well said. That's settled then. Severus, you will look into what we talked about earlier and let me know if you find something. Everyone else is expected to find somewhere else to discuss amongst yourselves how you are going to plan for every single thing that could go wrong and the implications. Goodnight." He stood and waited for the rest to bow before walking out of the room. He held up a hand when he saw Harry open his mouth to speak. "Not yet. We must wait until they pass the wards."

A few minutes of silence later and Tom visibly slumped from his impeccable position before turning to Harry.

"You did well. I am surprised you stayed the entire meeting, I thought you would have walked out halfway through."

"Tom, what is it that you and Professor Snape had talked about?" He saw a flicker of worry pass through Tom's features.

"I'm afraid, Harry, that this is something to ask Severus about. It is not my secret to divulge and Severus is a dear friend of mine. I hope you understand why I can't tell you." Harry nodded and asked about the guardianship. "Ah, yes. It has come to my attention that Dumbledore has gone through many legal hoops to get your under his legal wing. According to the ministry, he is your legal guardian. We have reason to believe that the documents with the ministry have been tampered with and that the documents with the goblins at Gringotts were never looked at for verification because of who Dumbledore is. This is a part of what Severus will be looking into for me."

He shivered when he felt a hand under his chin pulling his face up.

"You do look quite stunning, if I may say so myself." Much to Harry's mortification, he felt a blush creeping into his cheeks at the compliment.

Thank you," his answer was barely a whisper as he gazed at the man who had not only taken him away from a very bad situation, but had included him in as much as he was able to. He shied away from the emotions that were bubbling up to the surface and took a shaky breath as Tom released his chin.

* * *

_Damn it, Thomas! What the hell do you think you're doing? This is HARRY POTTER in front of you! He is FIFTEEN!_ Tom let go of Harry's chin and struggled to reign his thoughts in. If he wasn't careful, he'd start yelling at himself out loud.

"I fear I must turn in for the night, Harry. Come," he stood and led the way back to their rooms before entering his own from his own door in the hallway. He smiled at Harry and closed his door behind him before whispering "Goodnight Harry."

It almost made him jump out of his skin when he heard an equally quiet "Goodnight Tom," from the other side of the door.

* * *

Harry quickly shut his bedroom door and rushed to the bathroom to look in the mirror once more. He looked different with these robes on. Less like a child. He had never felt his age, being forced to grow up particularly fast, especially compared to his peers.

Red eyes glinted back at him in the mirror and he smiled. _Master, you...you've given him your eyes…_ He let the memory of Bellatrix's voice wash over him. It was, indeed, Tom's eyes he was looking at. Tom didn't just charm the mask to shade his eyes red, he had charmed the mask to show_ Tom's eyes exactly._ The more he looked, the more he was able to solidify his feelings and give them names.

Gratitude for rescuing him. Hope that he won't be forced to live in the dark anymore. A glimmer of dread for the coming year. Happiness that he was finally being shown that he was a person and not just a weapon or tool. A skip of his heart fluttered by when he thought of how Tom had looked at him while he complimented him in the dining room. That was going to warrant looking into, as he didn't recognize what it could be.

He went to lay down on his bed, fully dressed, when he saw Nagini on his bed.

**"Well, hello there hatchling. I came to tell you that Master hatchling has grown to care for you. He will not say anything, as you are...how did he say...still a new hatchling and he is fully grown."** The snake hissed in annoyance. **"Why I ever expected him to entertain me with young ones I'll never know."** Harry tilted his head, wondering what she was talking about.

**"I'm sorry, but I'm not quite sure I follow…"**

**"Master hatchling did say you were young. You are inexperienced. He will teach you, but you have to push him to get what you want. It took me a long time to make him let me come speak to you. Goodnight, new hatchling."**

Nagini stopped and turned back to him just before slithering through a hidden tunnel, that was just big enough for her.

**"You _do_ look rather handsome in his robes, New Hatchling"**

**"H-Harry. Just Harry."**

**"I like New Hatchling better."** Without further ado, Nagini slithered through the tunnel and disappeared.

Deciding to dress in pajamas after all, Harry shook his head at the odd encounter. He wasn't going to mention the conversation with Tom, but it would require more thought. Maybe Hermione would have an idea what the snake meant if he returned to school this year.

* * *

"Harry, Severus wanted to speak with you later this afternoon. Is that alright?" He practically choked on the orange slice he had just taken a bit from. Severus Snape? Willingly want to talk to him?

"I thought no one knew I was here?"

"Severus is the only one who knows you are here. Actually, it is likely he is aware that you were at the last meeting. I informed him I was bringing you here before I went to get you." Harry agreed and ate the rest of his lunch much slower.

The next hour dragged by as Harry struggled to focus on the potion Tom was helping him with. Eventually, Tom burst out laughing when Harry had managed to make the liquid turn bright pink, rather than the murky white it was meant to be. "It's clear to me that you are distracted. But that's alright, Severus is here. Shall we wait in the library for him?" Relief flooded him at the thought of not having to confront the potions master in front of his failed potion.

They waited with fresh tea and a hot fire crackling happily next to him. He had moved his chair to be quite close to the hearth, since he enjoyed the warmth seeping into his bones and settling there. When Severus made his entrance, it was far less dramatic than Harry was used to.

The robes were still pitch black, but not billowing out behind him as he walked. They were less stuffy as well, allowing the teacher to have a much more relaxed demeanor. There was no scowl, but he wasn't smiling either. Some sort of relaxed in-between.

"Harry, you're looking better." The poor attempt at breaking the ice, did manage to make Tom chuckle.

"Severus, come join us. Here, I've already got your tea the way you like it. What is it that you've found?" The raven haired man took a sip of his tea before starting.

"Well, it is likely true. I will not know for sure until tests are done, but the paperwork seems to fit in with it." Tom nodded and sipped his tea while pointedly looking at Harry and then back. He slumped a little.

"I owe you an apology, Harry. Several, actually. First and foremost, because you have been lied to your entire life. You see, your mother and I...we grew up in the same area. She was my best friend, my only friend. We grew close and over the years only grew closer. She was the only person who knew of the upbringing I had, the only one who even bothered to care.

"And then one day I went and ruined my entire life. Obviously I was around nothing but pureblood supremacists the entire time I was in school since I was in Slytherin. We argued and I...well I called her something I shouldn't have. She stopped talking to me, claiming I had changed too much. It broke my heart.

"I went to apologize to her a few years later. It was in November, the year before you were born. It was...the best night of my life. Everything seemed right. But after that, the war picked up in full fury and we didn't get the chance to talk again. It was too dangerous. When I heard she had gotten married to James just after, it broke my heart. And then I heard she was pregnant with you shortly after that. It didn't make sense to me, she hadn't mentioned she was with anyone when we talked and she definitely didn't mention being pregnant or even that she wanted to be with the state of things. They went into hiding before anyone else found out she was going to have a child." Harry stopped him by holding up a hand. He could see where this was going.

"How is it, then, that you think what you do when I look so similar to him and not you?" This is where Tom cut in.

"Harry, open your mind a little. You have dark hair, so do they both. Your jaw and cheekbones? They are similar to both men. And let us not forget that you do have quite a pale complexion now that you are not spending every waking moment in the sun doing chores during the summer. They both have slight figures, as do you and both have a love for flying." Harry could feel shock begin to set it.

"No, it can't be…" His gaze left Tom's face and settled on his teacher's. Now that he was forced to look at it, he could see how the similarities stacked up. "How do we know for sure?" His voice was small and scared.

"There is a test we can have done. Tom has already agreed to do it for us if you so wish. I will not force this upon you if you do not wish for it. No one would deserve that." Harry thought for a moment. On the one hand, this could change everything. It could change how people treated him, his schooling, even his friends could change. But if he wasn't, then the only thing that would happen is it would give a lonely man some closure. He would be entirely selfish if he didn't allow the test to be done.

Besides, it could knock Dumbledore down several more pegs.

"Alright," he gulped. Suddenly his stomach was knotted up with nerves. "Let's do it."


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

* * *

Tom stood and surveyed the two. Both of them looked nervous beyond comprehension.

"Come now, both of you sit down here," he conjured up two chairs across from each other in front of him. "Now hold out your hands." They did so and Harry's eyes widened when he brought out a knife.

"Relax Harry. I will not cause lasting damage, and will heal you as soon as possible. Nothing more than what is necessary." Tom's voice was low, soothing Harry's nerves. He hated to do it, but nonetheless, he found himself pressing the edge of the knife to the palm of Harry's hand before drawing blood. He repeated this process on Severus and collected six drops of blood from each of them.

Careful not to spill, he combined Harry's blood with one small vial of the potion he had made earlier in the week and once more repeated the same steps for Severus in a separate vial. Once both potions had turned olive green, he poured them both onto a sheet of parchment.

When he turned, he saw that Severus had already healed Harry's hand and was applying a watery salve to ensure it didn't leave a mark. They both looked cautiously content in the quiet. He cleared his throat.

"All we have to do now is wait for the parchment to give us the answer. Depending on the persons involved, it's been known to take a few hours."

"Tom, how will we know?"

"If the parchment glows then Severus is, indeed, your father. If not, the parchment will simply burn. Now, why don't you two drink some tea? You both look like you could use something to perk yourselves up." A house elf came in with more tea and informed Tom of more death eaters having questions for him.

"You two can stay here. This shouldn't be too long but you never know with some of these people."

* * *

Harry gulped, unsure of what he was to do now. Nursing his tea, he glanced up at the man across from him several times. Letting his mind wander wasn't something he was used to doing in the man's presence, but he found himself doing exactly that.

Just what would it have changed if he had been raised by him? Would he have been snarky and distant? Would his mother have survived? What would it have been like to live with the man while growing up? He could be so cruel in Hogwarts, but he seemed almost caring in the way he applied salve to his hand to heal the cut Tom had made.

He hadn't known he was staring at the professor until his thoughts were interrupted by him clearing his throat.

"I'm sorry, Harry." Those three words startled Harry, bringing his mind back to the present.

"For what, Sir?"

"For this. I'm sorry I didn't confront Lily about it back then. I'm sorry that I never noticed the signs of you being abused in Surrey. I'm sorry I was harsh…" The last admittance was almost whispered.

"Regardless of what that parchment tells us, I regret the way I treated you. You see, after your mother was killed, I grieved for a long time. My heart hurt that the one person that had ever loved me was gone for good. We had just reconciled after years of being apart and all I wanted was to spend more time with her. And then she was gone.

"When we were all called to a meeting and Tom didn't return when he was supposed to, I went to ensure her safety. Dumbledore had told me that he had put her in hiding but that Tom would likely try to kill her and James since they were so openly against him.

"When I entered that house and saw James there, on the floor...Well, I couldn't believe it. I had hoped that she had gotten out but then I heard you crying in your room. And there she was, lying on the floor beside your crib." Harry watched as the older man's eyes darkened and faded as they gazed onto a very different scene than the library they were in.

"When I came to my senses, I laid her down and closed her eyes before I bundled you up and took you away from the house before anyone could come looking for you. The world wasn't deserving of having Lily in it, and you didn't deserve to have her taken from you."

"What then, Sir?" Harry's voice was raspy with emotion, but he was determined to hear this out. No one had been this up front about his parent's deaths before and he wasn't about to miss the opportunity to learn more about it.

Dark brown eyes met his. They held an eternal sadness in their depths.

"I took you to my home in Spinner's End. Sent a patronus to Dumbledore as soon as I could find enough sense to cast one. I told him that your parents had been visited by Tom and that he needed to come see me at my home before anyone found out. He came rather quickly and berated me for taking you. Told me I was being selfish, that in my grief I was clinging to the last thing of Lily in the world. I tried to tell him you could have very well been my son to begin with and he insisted that it was safer for everyone if you were put with your aunt. That it was impossible for you to be my son. That Lily wanted you to go to her sister if something were to happen to her. I am sorry, Harry. I shouldn't have listened to him. I should have kept you, fought for you. Checked up on you. Anything._ Something…"_

The anguished voice broke and Harry found himself hugging his professor and making soothing noises to help him calm down.

"Professor," Harry started.

"My name is Severus, Harry." The whisper took Harry off guard before he made use of his Gryffindor courage and plowed forward.

"Severus, then. It doesn't matter what happened then. What matters is how we move forward. I'm not sure what my future brings anymore, but I don't have to ever return to that hell-hole ever again. I'm learning a lot with Tom, he actually managed to help me make a few potions and has explained the theory behind magic and how that all works so I'll have a better handle on how to control it. I'm...I've been happy here. I've never felt so safe and content before. I'm sorry you had to go through all that you have, but I'm not mad at you for any of it. You were grieving for a friend and lover that you had just regained the trust of. It was only natural for you to latch onto the first thing anyone had told you to do. You went to someone that you thought would understand and instead you had your life shattered, then the hope of another bloomed and had that dashed straight away as well. I do not blame you. I blame Dumbledore.

"He gambles with lives that aren't his own. He bluffs and when a situation calls for it, he will forfeit anyone who is willing to help him. He saw an opportunity in your pain. _That's what he does._ He kept me with people who tortured me in the hopes that it would allow him an easier time with making me complacent with his ideals and beliefs. He didn't care that a child was being treated so poorly. He didn't care that the one person who could tip the scale of the war was being...he only cared that he could throw me away later when the time was right." Harry's voice broke and he plopped down on the couch before his legs gave way.

"You are wise beyond your years, Harry. I can only hope that one day you are comfortable enough with me to share with me the extent of the damage that occurred at that house. It isn't healthy to keep it contained."

Harry sat with Severus for a long while in silence. They had sunk back into the couch cushions and the potions master had closed his eyes, although it was painfully obvious he was awake.

"Severus?" He watched as an eye cracked open. "What...what happens if...what I mean is…"

"What happens if I am, indeed, your father?" Harry nodded. "Well Harry, it would change a lot. We would have proof against Dumbledore, especially with my memory of him taking you from me when all I wanted was a better life for you. I wouldn't try to change anything too much in your day to day life, as the last thing I want to do is make you uncomfortable. It seems you've grown fond of being here, even if it has been a short while." A glint of emotion passed through his eyes. "But I will expect you to put forth your best efforts in potion making. I simply won't accept that any child of mine would be anything less than awe-inspiring in the art of potions." Severus could hardly contain the shaking of his shoulders by the time he finished and they both started laughing.

"I take it you two have been having fun without me?" Harry focused on breathing properly to contain his laughter and nodded.

"I thought you'd be back ages ago Tom. Where've you been?" Tom looked tired, even though he hadn't missed dinner.

"An extraordinary amount of nothing, actually. I find that either I'm getting smarter or my followers are getting stupider. Yaxley has, once again, managed to take a direct order with explicit directions and done almost the complete opposite."

"Yaxley isn't the best person for directions. He's better fit for combat and being told to be as nosey as possible at the Ministry about everything. Specifics tend to flummox him." Severus had once more regained his composure and was now leaning back onto the couch with one arm draped across the back.

"Quite. Has the paper done anything yet?" Both Harry and Severus jumped. They had both forgotten to keep an eye on the paper and turned to see it was glowing a soft golden light around it. "It appears that many plans need to be made to accommodate this new development."

"I...I suppose so, my Lord."

* * *

Tom couldn't believe his eyes. Harry was, in fact, Severus's son. When this had first been brought to his attention, he had thought that it would be too convenient for him if it were true. But the proof was right in front of him.

Plans needed to be made. Now he needed to call a meeting to discuss what everyone had found out and needed to discreetly disclose that Harry's father was not, in fact, James. He needed all of his options before deciding on a plan.

Harry's face looked ashen and his eyes were far too wide. Tom placed a hand on Harry's shoulder and asked him if he was alright. Harry nodded.

"Come, you need some rest. Go take a nap, it'll help you process all of this." Gently leading Harry from the room, Tom turned back to Severus. The library door clicking closed seemed to have pulled him out of his mind.

"And what do you think of all this, Severus? I'm sure many emotions are coming to the surface right now."

"You know I hated his father, but I just can't see any of James in him at all now. All I can see is Lily and myself. I don't know if I should be happy or sad or worried or-"

"You should be all of those things Severus. Feel happy that you have found the truth and that you can let this relationship with your son blossom. Be sad that Lily didn't get to see him grow and that you have treated him a bit more viciously than you should have. Let yourself be worried, that is only natural. Most parents worry for their children and most children aren't Harry Potter. And before you start berating yourself for how you treated him, let me first tell you this.

"If there was no possible way that you could have a normal relationship with your son, then you and him would not have been laughing your arses off up here when I came in to check up on you two. I would not have left the two of you alone in the first place if I hadn't thought it was possible. He is different than we thought. He uses sarcasm and snarkiness to deflect people. It's to prevent everyone around him from looking too closely. You should be familiar with the idea.

"He has a great need for someone to constantly be there but not be overbearing. He needs to know that he can count on someone to be there for him no matter how stupid, or mundane, or harmful or embarrassing. Just me knocking on his door in the morning to ask if I can come in is enough to make him start crying because he hasn't had anyone respect him like that in his life. You'll be good for him. Do I think you can jump into the role of parent to him? Maybe, but likely not. Not in the 'go to your room' sort of way anyway. He needs someone to teach him how to be an adult."

"Thank you, my Lord. I would have thought that you would be completely against all of this." Tom brushed off his thanks and told him to inform the others that there would be another meeting in two days. Severus nodded and turned to leave.

He paused at the door to Harry's room and heard movement on the other side. Knocking, he heard the room quickly go silent before the door cracked open.

"Severus?" The door opened wider. "Come in. What can I do for you?" Severus walked through the door and, without saying anything, pulled Harry into the first hug he had given anyone in over a decade.

* * *

Harry stiffened in surprise at the sudden contact. Once he realized nothing bad was happening, he slowly relaxed and curled up inside the man's arms with his eyes closed. It felt good to just be held, to have the silent confirmation that everything will be alright. One hand held him around his back, holding him close and the other was on the back of his head that was currently resting upon his shoulder.

"Thank you Harry. For allowing my the opportunity to right my mistakes. I can't just step in as the father you never had, but I am grateful that you are gifting me with the opportunity to be there to support you and help you in any way you need. Anything you wish to know, and I will do my best to answer all of your questions. And I may not be the best at emotions, but please know that you can confide in me. Tom and I both have had hard childhoods, and even though mine was not as bad as yours or his I am always going to be here to listen and to empathize." Severus pulled away, seeming to memorize Harry's face. He saw a hot tear trickle down the older man's cheek as he realized that he was Severus's son. Emotion overwhelmed him and he heard the man whisper _"My son,"_ as more tears flowed from his eyes.

Harry threw his arms around his potions professor turned father. "Dad," his voice cracked, even with how quietly he had spoken. It was odd, being able to say that without thinking about James. In the end, Harry hadn't known James, only what people told him. He had loved the idea of his father, but that quickly faded when he realized his actual father was right in front of him and willing to do what no one in his life had ever bothered to do. He was scared of being hurt, but somehow he knew that if he ended up hurt by all of this then Severus would also be hurt.

The embrace loosened and Harry found himself being examined by the potions master. "I must go to the goblins and start gathering evidence Harry. You will be safe with Tom here. And," a small pause settled over them before the man smiled warmly. "Lily would have been so proud of you."

"No offense, but how could you know that when she's been dead for fourteen years?"

"Because I am proud of you." With that, Severus left the room in a swish of robes and smiles.


	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

* * *

Tom woke with a start in the middle of the night yet again with sticky drawers. After casting a quick cleansing charm, he flopped back down onto his bed. He was annoyed at himself, mostly. In the damn dreams it was always the same person but he could never see them. It was either too dark, or he would be blindfolded. In this most recent dream, he simply hadn't been able to think clearly enough to open his eyes as the pleasure he felt cut through all of his rational thoughts and only left bliss in its wake.

He was just about to start drifting back off to sleep when a strangled cry sounded in the room next to his. He stiffened, listening closely for any other noise. None came, but he did hear Harry turn over in his bed rather violently.

Hastily throwing his covers off, he rushed to the door that closed their rooms off from each other. Only the sound of an almost silent whimper could be heard and he immediately opened the door to rush inside.

Harry had managed to twist himself in his sheets and his breathing was erratic. Pushing down a surge of panic, Tom reached out to gently stop Harry's thrashing. The teen jumped and twisted, a strangled scream stopping halfway out of his throat. Not knowing what else to do, Tom climbed into the bed to lay down next to him and wrapped his arms around Harry.

"Shh...Harry it's okay. It's alright, it's just me. It's okay Harry, you're safe." Tom gradually let his words slip into parseltongue and he reached out with his mind for Harry's.

The scene that was playing out in front of him was a grotesque one. _Harry's uncle was laying into him with a belt that had dozens of tiny nicks in the leather. It was designed to cause more pain as the leather bit into skin. Harry's screams worsened when the intrusion started. It was rough, unlubed and rushed. The belt made its way around Harry's neck and pulled so he couldn't breath. The jerky movements caused the belt to drag across his neck and all Harry could do was try to stop feeling altogether. Tom rushed into the dream once he came to his senses and banished the Dursley before reaching out to Harry._

_"Shh, Harry it's alright. You're safe now." Harry looked up at him in surprise. "How are you here?" Panic etched itself into Harry's eyes. "You can't be here. You can't know, you have to leave!" He curled in on himself as panic washed over him._

_"Harry, it's alright. You're safe with me but you need to wake up. Come on Harry. Wake up. Wake up…"_ Tom pulled himself back to the present and felt Harry stiffen. "It's okay Harry, you're safe with me."

* * *

Harry let Tom's arms wrap around him and pull him close as he cried. He didn't want anyone to know what he had to endure, but he was strangely relieved that he wasn't the only one who had to live with this terrible secret any longer. It was a weird sense of relief that brought about a slightly lighter feeling and yet increased his anxiety over what Tom would think of him.

His breathing had mostly evened out when he felt Tom place a gentle kiss to his hair. "You are always safe with me, Harry." Upon hearing those words, he felt himself relax and quickly drifted off back to sleep.

Harry slowly drifted back to consciousness a few hours later. It was the sound of something rhythmic that had quietly pulled him from sleep. The next thing he noticed was the smell. This didn't smell like the Dursleys or Hogwarts or even like his new bed with Tom. It smelled of honey and sandalwood and a slight breeze near a creek…

He didn't recognize this scent, not at first. It smelled like someone familiar and, dare he think it, it smelled like _home._ He felt his head rise and fall ever so slightly and only realized that he was using a person as a pillow when arms tightened around him. He cracked an eye and realized they were in his bed. A small moan pulled him from his current train of thought and he closed his eyes once more. Tom had mentioned mind magic before and had made a point to travel to his mind so maybe if he focused he could see what the other was dreaming?

Several minutes went by and Harry had felt like he almost had it. He had managed to find a faint trail of Tom's mind in the place Tom usually went to and he followed it back to Tom's mind. Suddenly, he was seeing the last thing he would have ever expected to see.

* * *

_Tom's back arched while a hot tongue traveled down his chest. Suddenly, a slight scratchy feeling was making its way across his chest in large, curly movements. He felt a warm, sticky liquid being deposited where the scratching had trailed._

_"Is that...are you writing on me with a honey quill?" A sensual snicker could be heard from above him, but no words were said. He focused all of his energy on the quill's movements. He missed the first two words, but the third clearly spelled 'Mine' across his stomach. The next spelled 'Forever' and the one after was 'Lover'. The tongue traced over every word, greedily licking up all the honey he had left behind. For the first time, he found he wasn't restrained and went to reach for his unknown lover. Hands wrapped around his wrists and gently put his arms back down. He surprised himself when he didn't go to move them again, even though he could._

_"Please, I want to touch you. To hold you. Anything. Please…" Tom's voice faded as he realized it was probably a lost cause._

**_"You and I both know you like it when I tease you like this, Tom."_ **_Tom gasped, his eyes flying open as he propped himself up on his elbows to see bright emerald eyes staring back at him before warm lips engulfed his cock. He couldn't help it, his eyes closed once more as he threw his head back in pleasure._

_He thought he heard a gasp from behind him, but he couldn't bring himself to focus on it. He was too busy with the tongue that was currently lapping at his weeping erection. It wasn't until the figure between his legs faded and he heard footsteps by the side of the bed._

_A very different tone of voice spoke up, although it was clearly the same one that had just spoken parseltongue._

_"Tom?"_ Tom jolted awake, his consciousness screaming at him for allowing himself to let his guard down enough for Harry to penetrate his mind in his sleep. It wasn't until he felt the teenager moving an arm across his chest that he realized he had fallen asleep with Harry.

"Tom?" The sleepy voice echoed the dream and Tom resisted the urge to flinch. "I'm not mad, if that's what you're thinking." He felt the stress of worry leave his body and sighed.

"It's not that I thought you'd be mad. I thought you'd be scared. I didn't think that this would happen again..."

"Again?" Tom cringed inwardly. The last thing he wanted to do was admit he had been having wet dreams like a teenager but it was better than lying to Harry.

"Yes, I've been having dreams like this for awhile. I didn't know who the person was in my dreams, at least I didn't know until tonight. Honestly, I thought you'd be scared of me for having thoughts like that at all. Especially given what you've been through." He felt Harry shake his head.

"Why would I be? I'm not...comfortable...with the idea of anything like that, but I know other people like it so it can't be all bad. I can't let one person ruin the rest of my life."

"You are wise beyond your years, Harry. Men thrice your age have been known to have stupider lines of logic and reason." The rasp of sleep was starting to dissipate from his voice, but he kept it a whisper nonetheless. "Harry, you are precious to me. I'm not sure...why...other than you being one of my horcruxes. But it seems to be more than that." Harry's response was muddled with sleep.

"Tom...'s late. Sleep...lo…" Harry's voice drifted off as the hand on his chest clung to the fabric over his heart.

* * *

"YOU _WHAT?!"_ Severus was very angry. Fuming, in fact. Tom bowed his head, knowing he deserved every second of Severus's anger. "HE'S A _CHILD_ OR HAVE YOU FORGOTTEN ABOUT THAT?"

"No, Severus, I haven't forgotten. But for Merlin's sake, I'm having a crisis over here! I need a friend, not Harry's father." That seemed to stop the anger in its tracks. "I've been having these bloody amazing dreams since he came here and I only just then realized who it was in those dreams! I feel horrible he had to see it, let alone see me realize just who it was I've been fantasizing about! I'm well aware of his age and even _more_ aware of the trauma he has had to endure his entire life. I came to you with this for the voice of _reason_, not emotions!" Tom threw himself into the nearest chair and put his head in his hands. "What am I to do Severus? I can't risk hurting him, he's been hurt enough already." Severus laid a hand on his shoulder when the door to the library opened.

* * *

Harry woke up to a cold and empty bed. Letting annoyance take over, he quickly used the bathroom and dressed before setting off through the halls to the library. He stopped just before the door when he heard a booming voice on the other side of the wood.

"-AVE YOU FORGOTTEN ABOUT THAT?" A long pause, followed by a few random words here and there. He managed to catch something about a crisis, dreams and "_-reason,_ not emotions!" He focused incredibly hard to hear the entirety of what was said next.

"-can't risk hurting him, he's been hurt enough already." Harry had heard what he needed to hear and opened the door before walking purposefully in. He didn't intend to have any more secrets surrounding him.

The scene that met his eyes surprised him, but not enough to move his poker face. Severus was actually trying to comfort Tom, and Tom was still in his pajamas. His face was ashen and his eyes were wide with surprise and a hint of fear.

"What the _hell_ has been going on here?" He put his hands on his hips, waiting for an answer from either one of the two in front of him. "I wake up from the most peaceful rest I have_ ever_ gotten to an empty bed and someone who thinks they need to make plans about me _without me._ Well? I'm waiting." Both men recovered from their shock quickly, but Severus was the first to answer.

"Harry, what do you remember of last night?" He could feel a blush flood his cheeks.

"What I remember includes something that is someone else's to share." Severus nodded.

"A very diplomatic answer. But you see, he has already told me about that. And even a fair bit more than I think he told you. So if you'll excuse me, I'll just get back to berating a friend of mine who is not only fantasizing about someone who is _underage_ but who is_ three and a half times younger_ than he is!" Severus turned to glare at Tom who had flinched at the mentions of age.

"Look, I don't care about that. I didn't think before I decided to start rifling around in his head while he was sleeping, that's on me. But if you think you get to take away my opportunity to yell at him, you're a damn sight wrong!" He had been so upset he hadn't realized he was poking the potions master in the chest. "Do us all a favor right now and go find more crap on Dumbledore so we can get rid of that bastard once and for all." To everyone's surprise, Severus bowed. "Yes, my Lord. I apologize for behaving so irrationally. I'm not used to being able to voice my opinion where it involves you and I'm afraid it got to my head. Don't go easy on him, for me." Severus left the two in shock and gently closed the door behind him.

"Well, that was…Tom what was that?"

"It seems that Severus has decided to accept you for the ranking I have given you. You were very powerful just then." _And bloody hot, too…_ "You gave him a task and he immediately accepted it and then went to do it."

Harry sat down on the chair across from him and picked up a cup of tea.

"There's more to the significance of the robes and the mask you made me wear isn't there?" Tom sighed.

"Yes. I created the idea in case I should ever take on either a life partner. The mask shows my eyes, which I'm sure you've noticed no thanks to Bellatrix. It was both made as a power move for protection as well as the importance the person wearing it would have to me. You, for all intents and purposes, are just as powerful as I in their eyes. I didn't give you those robes lightly. They were intended for the last lover I would ever have, but I've grown to care for you since I sent you that damn journal. Suddenly, you being informed on your life and being included in the decisions that revolve around you seemed more important than the possibility of me giving those robes to someone I know won't exist."

"So basically, your entire band of death eaters think I'm shagging you?" Tom barked out a laugh and Harry followed. It was the only thing he could do to get a grip on his emotions. "Well, that's embarrassing."

"I am sorry Harry. It was the only way I could ensure your safety."

"I understand. Now, would you mind talking to me about that dream you were having while you're properly awake?" Guilt flooded Tom's face.

"Let me first start by saying that I would never do or say anything to harm you. I also want you to know that I'm very much aware of the fact that you are underage and that I'm much older than you. I may not look it, but I wasn't exactly born in the same era as you were." He held up his hand, stopping Harry from speaking. "The fact of the matter is this; I am fifty-four years older than you. You need time to heal from your previous living arrangements. We have an entire ministry to reform and on top of it all, we have to get rid of Dumbledore. You've had a lot of changes these last few weeks, and that's a lot for anyone to take in." Harry found himself fidgeting with the hem of his shirt with his legs pulled up on the chair with him.

"Well...what if I'm curious? I know what you mean with all the other reasons and all that but...I'm not exactly sure what I'm supposed to be feeling. I'm disgusted with myself for being curious because of what has happened but I can't seem to help but want to know what it's supposed to be like. I'm afraid of trusting someone in that way, but it's almost like I have to know what it feels like to trust someone in that sort of situation without having it come back to haunt me. I know it will take time. But I don't know how I'm supposed to feel until then." He chanced a glance at the older wizard, who was now making himself a cup of tea.

"I suppose I can understand where the confusion would be with all this. The only one who should be disgusted is that filthy muggle for doing that to someone, let alone a child left in his care. You, Harry, are far too beautiful of a person to be remotely disgusting. You're kind and caring and you'll go to any lengths to keep those you love safe. Most people in your position would feel confused and upset and not know how they are supposed to feel and that's okay. I will be here in any way you need me to be." While Tom talked and stirred his tea, Harry had gotten up and walked over to him silently. He kneeled down and settled between Tom's legs on the floor before hugging him.

"Thank you Tom." He felt arms wrap around him and held him tight.

"I mean it Harry, I'll let you do whatever you want to satisfy your curiosity but we do have to wait until the major things we have planned are put into motion. Here," he knelt on the floor to even out most of the height difference and wrapped a silver chain around Harry's neck. "The horcrux is no longer there, but I have charmed it to help you strengthen your portion of our mental link so you can come visit me in my mind whenever you like." Harry thanked him and they went their separate ways for the day.

* * *

Later that week found Harry staring out at a sea of followers. They were informing the rest of the death eaters about the plan they had regarding Harry Potter.

"In short, Harry Potter will be filing an official case against Dumbledore as his real father is alive and amongst us this very moment." Whispers broke out and Tom managed to silence them with relative ease. "You will find out once the case goes public. Yaxley has assured me that Rita Skeeter will be publishing an approved article depicting the events in the courtroom. We shall bring Dumbledore to his knees once and for all!"


	14. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

* * *

Once the plans were solidified and announced, things happened incredibly quickly. On the first Hogsmeade weekend of the year, Severus left the castle and came to the mansion. Harry was just finishing putting on the baby blue robes that Tom had made for him when Severus was knocking at his door.

"Come in."

"Harry, are you ready? Our meeting with the goblins is in ten minutes."

"Yes, I'm ready." Tucking his necklace into his shirt, he followed Severus to just outside the wards. He took the extended arm and tried to focus on his breathing. Once he was firmly planted on the ground once more, he opened his eyes to see Diagon Alley. It wasn't as busy as he was used to seeing it, but it was in the middle of the week after the school year had started.

The goblins were pleased to see the two walk through the doors exactly two minutes early.

"Severus Snape, Harry Potter. Come with me." A rather small goblin stood at the entrance to a door Harry hadn't noticed before and he found himself inside a private office. "Now, it is my understanding that you two think that Harry Potter is the son of Severus Snape and Lily Potter?" Severus nodded.

"All right. It's about time you bloody wizards came to your senses to come and talk to me. The name is Kalo, by the way." Kalo started rifling through some filing cabinets behind her and she emerged with a sizable stack of parchment. "Now, I'll just start by reading her will." She cleared her throat.

"I, Lily Evans, of sound mind and body, am here to write out my last wishes. To my son, Harry James Potter, I leave the entirety of my personal vault 647. This vault is not to be relinquished to any guardians and only to Harry James Potter himself upon his coming of age. Also, to my son, Harry James Potter, I leave this advice: find the letter in the vault and read that first. It will explain so much to you.

"To Severus Tobias Snape, I leave you the contents of the safety vault 246A. I hope that you will forgive me in the lies I had to tell so long ago.

"Should my passing come before Harry James Potter's coming of age, he should be placed under the guardianship of the following persons listed in order:

Severus Tobias Snape

Remus John Lupin

Sirius Orion Black

Lucius Abraxas Malfoy

"Under NO circumstances is Harry James Potter to be put under the guardianship or watch of Vernon Dursley, Petunia Dursley or Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore.

"Signed Lily Potter née Evans."

Harry sat in shock. He couldn't believe that his mother would want him to go with Lucius of all people! And she had put Severus first...did that mean that she knew Harry's real father was Severus all along?

"Would you like to be taken to your new vaults, gentlemen?" Harry barely heard Severus's answer and felt an arm pulling him to his feet.

"Harry, you need to focus right now. Come, there is much to do still." He nodded and let himself be led to a cart that zoomed off to a large room full of different sized doors. Most of them were drawer sized, but some were larger.

"Safety vault 246A." Kalo passed a small key to Severus who took it and opened a small box. He quickly emptied the space into an inside robe pocket and returned the key.

"I will no longer be needing this safety vault. Thank you." Kalo nodded and led them back to the cart before zooming off to vault 647.

"Vault 647." She walked up to the door and inserted the key before waving her hand in complicated patterns to open the door. Harry stepped inside and gasped.

Mountains of gold were piled everywhere, as were countless treasures. He did manage to remember about the letter and his eyes rested on a pedestal in the corner with a letter on it.

"Take your time, Mr. Potter." The goblin went back to her cart and started talking to another goblin that had come to seek her out.

Harry made his way to the letter and looked at Severus. He didn't know if he wanted to read it just then or if he should read it later.

"You can read it now or later but if you read it now you will have less time to process it." He pocketed the letter and glanced around once more.

"What do I even do with all this?"

"Well that is for you to decide. Personally, I'm intrigued by this. It seems your mother made good use of her charming nature and managed to build up her own vault of goodies that she hid away from James." They turned to leave the vault.

On the way back to the main level of the bank, Harry started to ask a question before Severus quickly shushed him. "Not here," was his reasoning. Once they were back in Kalo's office, Harry couldn't keep quiet anymore.

"So what happens now? Dumbledore isn't even supposed to have guardianship over me."

"Now, we will take this case up with the Ministry. When we receive notice of the proof hearing, we will let you two know." Severus thanked her and led them out of Gringotts before apparating them back to Tom's manor. Upon reentering the building, Nagini slithered by.

**"Hello New Hatchling. Master Hatchling has asked me to tell you that he is in his room should you want to talk about what happened with the gold hoarders."**

**"Thanks, I'll keep that in mind. Anything else I should know?"**

**"What makes you think that?"** Her head whipped around to face him.

**"Well, you sound like there's more to the story. I was simply curious."**

**"You are wise for being a New Hatchling. Maybe Master Hatchling was wrong about you being...new. He has been pacing since you left. He...what is the word...he worries for you. I don't know what that means, but that is how he said it."**

**"Thank you Nagini. You're very kind for telling me this."**

**"Master Hatchling wouldn't dare to harm me, no matter the circumstances. Go to him."** She slithered away and Harry barely managed to catch something about 'maybe getting really new hatchlings this time.'

Severus and Harry parted ways, Severus going back to the school and Harry back to his room. He did want to see Tom, but he also wanted some alone time with the letter he had gotten from his mum first. He broke the seal and settled into his chair to read.

"Harry,

"My dear baby boy. You won't be reading this until you're older, but you're only a few days old right now. First, let me start this by saying I'm sorry. I lied to everyone around me about who your father is. You're probably under the assumption that James is your father. That's not the truth.

"Severus Snape is your father. I know, that's a hard pill to swallow. He can be quite harsh at times. Deep down under all the bitterness of how unfair his life is, he is a good man. Please give him an opportunity to make things right with you. I'm sure he hasn't been kind to you, especially because I went and married James so soon after he and I had...well I'm sure you know how infants are conceived by now so you can do the math there.

"I'm assuming you just took this letter home with you, so the next time you are at the bank in the back left hand corner of that vault you will find a large trunk under a few piles of gold. I had a painting of myself commissioned not too long ago and that is where I have hidden my painting. In case you ever wanted to talk to me, you know. Severus may also want to talk to me too, perhaps you should bring him along, or at the very least offer for him to come and see me. I have many lies to answer for with him.

"Do not trust Albus Dumbledore. He is a danger to those who cannot see beyond his kind eyes. That mind of his is twisted and is calculating everyone's worth all the time. He does not care for individuals, only the end result of the game he is playing.

"As for me, I've never left you. Even in death I am watching over you and watching you grow. I can't fathom that just yet, as you're still so little and helpless but I'm sure as time goes on I will grow accustomed to the idea rather quickly. You are a beautiful person Harry, and I only wish I had been there to guide you.

"So much love, Mum"

Harry felt tears sliding down his face, but he couldn't be bothered to wipe them away. His mum had the forethought to put all of this into plan...and only because she wanted to keep him safe during war. She had gathered treasures and gold before she had holed herself away for him and had gone through the trouble of submitting a will to the goblins in case she died. He almost didn't notice the gentle prodding in his mind and didn't think twice when he realized he told Tom he could come in.

Warm arms wrapped around him and he cried into the chest he was pulled against.

When his sobs slowed, he clung tighter to the shirt in front of him. It felt different being in someone's arms like this...it felt...safe? Was that the word he was looking for? This is what he imagined feeling safe would feel like. It was warm and closeness and feeling like someone cared. _Yes, this must be what safe feels like. I feel safe here. But why would I feel like this about someone who is so much older than me? Severus had a point in the library, Tom is considerably older than me. So why would I feel like this with him?_ The thoughts only brought more tears.

"Harry, you don't have to talk about it if you don't want to. But I am here for you if you wish to talk to someone." Harry nodded and felt his shoulders sag with exhaustion. "You're tired. Here, take your robes off. There's a lad. Now lie down." Harry grabbed Tom's robes before he could leave. He didn't want to be alone right now. He just wanted to relax while he breathed the calming scent of honey and sandalwood. "All right, I'll stay but you have to let me take my robes off." He loosened his grip and wiped his face as Tom laid down next to him and pulled him close once more. He curled up into Tom's side.

"Th-Thank you Tom. For staying. I just...I can't be…" He tried to continue his sentence, but his throat wouldn't allow the words to emerge.

"You're tired of being alone and wanted to have someone care for you?" Harry nodded. "I understand. Do you want to talk about your trip to the bank?"

"They're going to tell us when they have to do some sort of proof hearing. Mum...she left behind a will that no one asked about. At least, no one obeyed it anyways."

"What did it say?"

"She left Severus some things in a safety vault and left me a vault as well. She left me a letter too. Says that Severus is my dad and that she loves me and that she left a painting of herself in the vault for me to be able to talk to her if I want to." Wiping his eyes one last time, he allowed himself to relax more into Tom. "I was supposed to be put into the custody of Severus. After him were two of their friends and then Lucious Malfoy of all people. But never Dumbledore and never the Dursleys."

"I can understand how this can be overwhelming. Are you okay with everything you've learned so far?"

"I think so. I have to be, right? I'll be okay. Just...just hold me for now." Tom nodded and happily obliged while Harry fell asleep.

* * *

Tom watched Harry drift off to sleep and gently moved his hair from his face. The worry and anxiety had disappeared from his face and a peaceful expression was all that remained. He let his mind wander.

He imagined the two of them like this often. He also imagined them doing much more than snuggling but that's besides the point. He thought about how he wanted Harry to grow comfortable with him, how he wanted to know what Harry's small little quirks were and how he liked his eggs. Things that you could only learn of someone by living with them for a long period of time.

He wondered if Harry would ever feel the same, or if he was doomed to a life of solitude after all.

Harry stirred and rolled over so his back was to Tom's chest. He couldn't help but notice that Harry had somehow managed to grab Tom's hand and was cradling it to his chest. Suddenly, Tom felt Harry's mind wrap around his and pull him into Harry's dreams.

_They were standing in the dining room after all the death eaters had left the meeting. Once the last one was outside the wards, Tom leaned over and grabbed Harry in a fierce hug...Harry was out in the garden, pruning the roses when Tom lightly grabbed his chin to lift his face for a gentle kiss...Harry was lying in bed and watching Tom undress for the night...Harry finding out in a meeting that Dumbledore had been given the dementor's Kiss and flinging his arms around Tom before kissing him...Severus asked Harry if his relationship with Tom was serious or if it was just fueled by the thrill of experimenting. Harry confirmed it was serious and even admitted to loving Tom...Arms wrapped tightly around each other as they kissed…_

Tom abruptly woke up, his eyes flying open. At some point he had drifted off to sleep with Harry, letting himself succumb to Harry's mind. He tightened his arms around the teen who, at some point, had rolled over to face him. Their foreheads were touching and Harry slowly opened his eyes.

Seeing how close they were must have startled him if the slight gasp was anything to go by. Tom simply smiled and closed his eyes once more. He could feel the tension in the teen next to him. It was the tension of apprehensive anticipation.

"Harry, I promised you once already that I would not make you do anything. You have my explicit permission to do anything you want to me." At this reminder, he felt a tentative hand on his stomach under his shirt. The hand felt nice, although he could feel it shaking a little. After a few minutes, the other hand joined it and they slowly felt their way up his chest.

"Would you like me to lay on my back or stay like this?" His voice was quiet, and held only curiosity.

"You're fine this way." Tom couldn't help but notice the small amount of hesitation.

The hands continued their journey, never straying too far down. Suddenly, Tom found that he was nervous about whether or not Harry would like what he was feeling.

* * *

The feeling of Tom's chest under Harry's hands was a heady one. He wanted to touch Tom's whole body, but any time he thought about maybe going just a little farther down his hands would practically recoil at the idea. He was nervous, that was painfully evident in the shakiness of his movements. Never before had he been the one to do the touching. To be the one in control of what happened. After several minutes, Harry realized he was okay with this.

He was okay with being the one to initiate the touching like this. He could control where he was touching and how fast or slow things were. It was his choice. Harry's eyes wandered to Tom's chest and he found himself slowly sitting up to kneel by Tom's side. He could hear Tom gasp quietly when he lifted the shirt up to look at the stomach he was touching.

It was pale and slim, with a small dusting of hair running between the very faint outline of abs. He hadn't pulled the shirt up very high, so he couldn't see the chest hair that he knew was there. Watching his fingers trace random patterns into the skin, Harry found himself relaxing.

"Thank you, Tom. For letting me do this."

"No worries, Harry." He could hear the irregularity of Tom's breath plainly when he talked.

"You sound like you're out of breath, are you okay?" Tom opened his eyes. They looked like burning pools of crimson.

"Yes, I'm okay. What you're doing feels amazing, actually. But I'm determined to show you that I meant it when I said you can do anything you want and I won't force you. If that means I have to put off my own pleasure to make sure you feel safe and comfortable, then so be it. I have sacrificed more for much less of a reward before." Harry blushed and went back to tracing patterns on Tom's stomach.

The admission made him feel...lightheaded in a way. He was relieved that Tom seemed to mean it, even now.


	15. Chapter 15

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

* * *

The next few days saw them falling into a routine. Tom and Harry would go over potions and the theory behind controlling your own magic throughout the days and in the evenings Tom would lay on Harry's bed while Harry did whatever he wanted. The night before Harry had gotten Tom's shirt off completely while he just watched himself touch Tom's neck, chest and stomach. He had even brushed his fingertips over a pert nipple-although it was just once. Tom's sudden gasp had startled him and he had stuck to safer areas the rest of the evening after that.

An owl had woken them up, pecking at the window so persistently that Harry could no longer ignore it. He opened the window and the tawny owl dropped a letter on the floor and took off once more. Breaking the seal, Harry started reading.

"Mr. Potter,

"It has come to the Ministry's attention that you wish to have a paternity test done in front of witnesses to legally verify if Severus Snape is your father. Please arrive to the Ministry of Magic at 8AM on Halloween to have your paternity test and to discuss the next legal steps for you and your situation.

"Pius Thicknesse,

"Department of Magical Law Enforcement, Ministry of Magic"

"Well, it seems as though Thicknesse does have his moments of acting on his own in my favor. Halloween isn't that far away. Did you wish to do anything before then?"

In response, Harry pushed Tom back against the bed and spent his time doodling nonsensical patterns on Tom's chest.

* * *

Having to practically bite back moans was going to eventually wear a hole in Tom's bottom lip. When he first realized what was happening, he had been reading a novel when the words Harry started writing on his chest began to make sense. He had first only recognized every few words, but now he was getting better at making sense of them. He was sure that Harry didn't know he was writing either, as everything was in parseltongue.

_Care...kiss...muscle...pale...attractive...mine…_ His focus was cut off when he felt Harry's weight shift. It wasn't abnormal for Harry to shift around so his legs didn't fall asleep, but it was abnormal for it to result in Harry straddling Tom.

His eyes flew opened and shock colored his face as he saw that Harry was, indeed, straddling him as he wrote. The movements kept their steady pace when Harry's eyes caught his and the words instantly became more heated. _Hot...empty...fuck...pleasure...attraction…_ Tom could see the realization as the words wrote themselves on his chest. _I'm basically sitting on his dick…_

The internal conflict in Harry's eyes was amusing to watch. He could practically hear Harry shouting at himself, wondering what he was going to do. Should he move and admit he realized what he had just been thinking or should he stay put and act like he meant to put himself here?

Apparently his Gryffindor courage decided to step in and Harry relaxed.

* * *

Harry wasn't sure what to do now. He was determined not to let this get to him, but he wasn't sure he could do anything other than just sit still. He didn't want to let the horrors of what he had endured stop him from living his life but he found that he was having a hard time doing anything intimate.

"Harry," Tom's voice broke him out of his mental debate. "What you have to realize, is that what you have gone through won't rule your life. Think of it as an injury to your mind, your instincts. You have to heal before you can continue to live as you would have otherwise. For instance, don't muggles have to wait to let a broken leg heal?" Harry nodded. "Well, think of it this way. When you break a leg, it must have time and accommodation to heal and then you can go back to life as usual once it has been properly mended."

"But I don't want to admit they broke me. Everyone else is depending on me-"

"To what, Harry? What are they depending on you for? They were putting their faith into a child to murder someone who is far more powerful and much older. They lied to you, disregarded your mother's will, put you with abusers and then ignored the blatant signs of said abuse. They manipulated you into doing their jobs. You're going to a hearing to prove that Severus Snape is your father. Dumbledore is trying to rally troops for an all out war. You've said so yourself, you prefer the way I want to do things this time. They are depending on you to proactively support war and then they want you to support the idea that it is okay for a child to murder a man."

"Y-you're right." The realization practically struck Harry in the face. "You're right. Why should I care what they think when they were pushing me towards my own death? Dumbledore didn't care I was being broken and-" He cut himself off. A dark truth was suddenly creeping up into his mind. "I bet Dumbledore wanted them to break me. So I would be more pliable and play into whatever he wanted me to do for a little praise. So he could have the perfect weapon. He thought they would fracture my mind as I got older so I wouldn't question things, but what he didn't think about was them breaking my mind completely. If you hadn't reached out to me to show me kindness in the worst sort of darkness..." Tom sat up, gently readjusting them so Harry was on Tom's lap with his legs wrapped around Tom's back and Tom's arms around Harry's waist.

"Yes Harry. Dumbledore decided to use the worst sorts of people to break you. He only ever put up anti-magic wards, which would prevent even magic that could heal you while you were at that house. I'm glad you're realizing all this in its entirety but Harry, you can't let them dictate how you feel. You can't let your image get in the way of asking for help. This? What we've been doing? You just running your hands across my body-that's a part of healing. You didn't want me to even look at you when you first came here and gathered your strength back, and now look. You're quite nicely straddling me as we sit in bed while I'm half naked. This is amazing progress! You were broken by them, yes. But now you are healing. Don't let the Gryffindor foolishness in you make you think that you're inadequate if you have to stop or can't continue."

Tears were rolling down Harry's face. No one had ever bothered to tell him he was progressing when he felt like he was failing before. Soft hands that weren't his own wiped the tears from his cheeks and he opened his eyes to look at Tom. There was an emotion there that he couldn't quite place. He felt his head being guided down and Tom placed a soft kiss to his forehead, right on top of his scar.

Warmth practically exploded in him as a light tingly sensation passed over the lightning bolt of white skin. He vaguely recalled hearing Tom gasp, or maybe that had been him.

**"Tom,"** Harry couldn't help the transition into parseltongue, it just felt right. **"What was that?"**

**"I don't know. Are you okay?"**

**"Whatever it was, I liked it. Does that make me strange?"**

**"No,"** Tom's voice was still slightly breathless.** "No, I liked it too."**

**"Tom…"** Their eyes met and before Harry knew what was happening, he could practically feel Tom's lips against his. They were only a hair's breadth away from touching, and Harry's breathing hitched the slightest amount.

* * *

Tom most certainly didn't give himself permission to kiss Harry, it just sort of happened. His lips were warm and tasted the way he smelled. Apples and cinnamon might just be his new addiction. It was a brief kiss, very soft and light, but then Harry moved his lips in an experimental sort of way. It may have only been a kiss, but to Tom it was everything. It was cautious, curious, hesitant and eager all at the same time. Forgetting that he promised himself Harry would always lead the way, he took the lead and ran his tongue lightly over Harry's lower lip.

Although Harry's lips parted, he didn't immediately plunge in like he wanted to. He continued to edge his way in slowly, giving Harry ample time to pull away if he wanted to. Upon hearing Harry moan deep in his throat, his resolve waived and he pulled Harry's body closer to him. He could feel Harry's hands wander over his stomach and chest as they kissed, but he wasn't really paying that much attention until he felt Harry's fingertips gently graze over his clothed erection. Unsure of how far Harry would be able to push his limits, he pulled Harry so the teen's head was on his shoulder and he let his breath lightly whisper across his ear.

**"Harry…"**

**"Tom."**

**"You don't...you can tell me to stop at any point Harry. I promise you, I will st-"**

**"Oh shut up Tom!"** Harry sat up and faced Tom, passion blazing behind his eyes. **"I get it. You won't force me. I know."** His voice softened as he caressed Tom's cheek lightly.** "I know. I don't exactly feel the most...comfortable in these sorts of positions but I have grown more comfortable with you. I can touch you without fearing you will suddenly start yelling at me, I can talk to you without the fear of judgement and I have shared my mind with you. I know all I have to do is say stop. Even hesitating will make you cease whatever you are doing. Either this is some twisted game and you are trying to break me completely or you care enough about me that your own needs are superseded by my own. In the former, I wouldn't care as I had fun for the first time in my life. The latter, well only time will tell what will happen to us. Halloween is just around the corner, let us enjoy the moments of peace until then."** Tom's eyebrows had practically risen into his hairline by the end of Harry's small tirade.

"Besides," the boy continued in English. "Being a Gryffindor has its advantages. I've learned to just go with the flow and see where it takes me because of it. So let's just go with the flow, shall we?" Soft lips gently caressed his own before he completely lost himself in the sweet taste that was uniquely Harry.

* * *

Harry was nervous as he had never initiated anything like this before and he had certainly never enjoyed it. But somehow with Tom it was different. He was comfortable and suddenly he felt his lips curl up in a small smile before a breathy laugh escaped. Tom's hand gently lifted his chin up and suddenly he was caught in the red pools of crimson.

"My newest goal is to see you smile and laugh as often as possible, Harry. It is quite breathtaking on you." A slow blush crept its way up Harry's cheeks before he was lost to the gentle lips once more.

Before long, Harry had gathered enough courage to run his hands down Tom's chest and grazed over his clothed groin. He suspected Tom took particular care in not bucking into his hand and he appreciated the amount of effort the man had gone through to not scare him. Suddenly, a thought made its way into his mind and he couldn't shake it.

"Tom? I'm afraid that...well given my past...I'm experienced in speed, not...well…" To his amazement, Tom nodded. He seemed to know what Harry was getting at.

"Carnal pleasures are supposed to be that-pleasurable. While speed is occasionally called for, it is often not the goal. Forgive my brashness, but you are far more inexperienced than most typical virgins. You have been trained to do exactly the opposite of what makes these situations fun and enjoyable. Just take your time, Harry. Don't forget you can stop at any point with or without an explanation. I will understand. It's like how you touch me at night, just do what you feel comfortable with." Relief flooded Harry's system and he pushed Tom to lay down properly while he sat up and traced around the clothed bulge. His touch was featherlight, just enough to test the waters so to speak. He didn't want to dive in and cause himself more harm than good.

As he watched Tom's face, he realized the man was putting considerable effort behind not scaring him off. The intakes of breath were sharp, but borderline silent. He was gripping the pillow above his head, farthest away from Harry, to help reign himself in. He traced over the bulge once more and saw leg muscles tense when he unbuttoned Tom's pants. Suddenly, he didn't care about pushing his boundaries or making himself more comfortable around his companion. His newest goal was making Tom break his self control. For reasons he couldn't fathom, he wanted to see Tom arch up under his ministrations.

He ever so slowly unzipped the trousers Tom was wearing and managed to pull them down over Tom's hips. The man started to protest, but Harry sent a glare his way. Wisely, Tom silenced himself and relaxed once more.

The relaxing wasn't to last as Harry let his fingers skim over the silky boxers Tom was wearing. They were a deep shade of sapphire and did little to hide the obvious erection beneath them. Not letting himself think for too long, he wrapped his hand around the package and firmly, yet gently, stroked the length a few times. The strain Tom was putting on himself was incredible, he could practically feel the man's frustration as he tried to keep himself still.

All at once, he felt his heart rate rise. He was able to keep the memories at bay, but he was having a difficult time controlling his body's reactions. He loosened his grip and went back to the barely-there touches. This seemed to allow Harry's body to relax.

A little while later, he looked up at Tom. Burgundy eyes with dilated pupils burned into his soul before they closed once more. His voice was breathy, nearly silent when he spoke.

"H-Harry...I...Please, I'm…"

"You're what?"

"God Harry, if you don't stop _right now_ I'm going to come with just your touch alone." Harry's cheeks turned bright red but he continued with his ministrations. He had wanted to see Tom lose his composure, and this was the ultimate surrender of self control.

He allowed his strokes to lengthen from the base of Tom's erection to the very tip and he decided to test his limits before adding a bit more pressure to his touches.

Tom shuddered and small jerky movements rocked his body as the damp spot on his boxers became increasingly less damp and more wet. Harry couldn't tear his eyes off of Tom, he watched as the beautiful man completely let go of reality and came undone under his hand. A heady feeling of power came over him when he realized he had done this. He had turned the greatest wizard of all time into a shivering pile of half formed pleas and pure bliss.

Vernon had always been in control of his own orgasms, but this was different. Harry was in control of Tom's orgasm. He was the one dictating how fast or slow things would go. He was in control of if he wanted Tom to experience this sort of pleasure or not. It was a heady feeling, the feeling of not being afraid of the person he was bringing to the brink. He wasn't afraid because he was the one in control; he could stop any time he wanted and he had the added satisfaction that Tom had done everything in his power to not come in his pants and yet Harry had made him feel so good he did just that.

* * *

Tom cast a quick cleaning charm and opened his eyes, an apology already forming on his lips. He expected to see Harry upset and curled in on himself. What he found was Harry leaning over him with a hungry look in his eyes and a self-satisfied sort of air hung about him.

"Harry, I'm s-"

"If you continue with that sentence, you really _will_ be sorry Tom. I wanted to make you lose control like that. I think I needed it. To have control over someone else's pleasure like that. I...I liked it."

Tom sat up and stroked Harry's cheek.

"I liked it too, Harry. You know you can do anything you want to me, even leave me on the brink for days and I won't be upset or angry. If this is what you need to help you heal, then I'm willing to endure anything you want. Come lay with me, I'm very tired now." He leaned back down and held his arms open. Harry hesitantly laid down with him, his head resting upon Tom's arm and his arm resting on his chest. Tom covered them with a light blanket and they both drifted off to sleep.


	16. Chapter 16

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

* * *

It was Halloween morning and Harry was stressing over what he should wear to the Ministry for his paternity test. He decided on black robes with silver stitching. It was a classic look. A gentle knock came at his door.

"Harry, are you ready? The Ministry will be expecting us in a few minutes." He opened the door and stepped out of his room to find Severus leaning against the wall.

"Sure. Let's go." When they were outside of the house, Harry looked up at Severus. "Do you know what to expect?" Severus shook his head.

"I'm afraid I do not. The most I know is they will have a small group of impartial witnesses there to verify the test. That is as much as I know." Harry took hold of Severus's arm and felt the squeezing of apparition.

The main hall of the Ministry was fairly empty. There were a few witches and wizards walking around, but since most departments officially opened at nine there wasn't any crowds. They hastened towards the courtrooms, and entered a rather small room compared to what he expected. There was a large oval table and a few people were seated on one end with Pius in the center. The two took the seats on the other side of the table.

"Ah, yes. Here they are. Harry James Potter and Severus Tobias Snape. Now, forgive me, but you both have to take two drops of this." A vial of pale lavender liquid was placed between them. Severus raised an eyebrow.

"Tell me Pius, is this the best the Ministry has to offer? If this is, indeed, a generic truth serum then it should be a bit more pale. Almost clear with a hint of lavender. And," he sniffed the potion. "It should have less of a scent to it as well. Your potions brewer hasn't chopped the jobberknoll feathers fine enough. Let me know if you find yourself wanting a stock of higher quality potions."

"I just may take you up on that offer. Now, if we may proceed?" Severus dropped the required dosage into his mouth and did the same for Harry. He could feel the effects of the potion immediately, although it wasn't what he thought it would feel like. He felt like he needed to tell the truth, to be honest. It wasn't an option to lie right now. It wasn't a harmful feeling, just odd for him. He had lied for so long in his life that feeling the need to tell the truth was different for him.

"Alright, you will both state your full given names."

"Severus Tobias Snape."

"Harry James Potter."

"Good. Severus, what is your purpose here?"

"I believe myself to be the father of Harry James Potter." Pius nodded and asked Harry his purpose there.

"I believe that Severus Tobias Snape is my father."

"Very good. Thank you. Now I need you both to put a single drop of blood on this parchment, that's it. And that's that. Indeed, Severus you are the father of Harry. Congratulations to you both." Harry felt a small smile found its way to his face and looked over to see Severus practically beaming at him.

"Pius, what are our options now?"

"Well," the man shuffled through a rather large stack of parchment. "Since Harry here has been under the magical guardianship of Albus Dumbledore, we would have to revoke the right from Albus for that to be transferred to you. However, I am curious. Why bother with this at all?" Harry heard himself speak up before he could convince his own mouth to stay shut.

"Because Albus _bloody_ Dumbledore has shoved me off to live with abusive people, against my mother's will! He has ignored the signs of abuse, ignored my pleas to let me live with someone else-_anyone_ else-and has gone out of his way to ignore the list of people my mother has put into her will that I was supposed to live with. The first of which, was Severus. He has put me into dangerous situations year after year and I do not want any part of it." The eyes of all the witnesses as well as Pius widened and a plump wizard from the end of the table spoke up.

"These are serious allegations Mr. Potter."

"I can produce memories for you. More than anything, I want...I need to be free of him. Of _them,"_ he spat. "Your precious Boy-Who-Lived is nothing more than a slave to the relatives he was never supposed to meet." When he looked up once more, he knew his eyes would appear to be empty. "I need to live with someone that won't take advantage of my status, that won't beat me if I so much as make the wrong type of bacon in the morning and who won't use me to fulfill a sexless marriage." Shocked gasps filled the room and Harry looked down at the table. Suddenly, the grain pattern was very interesting.

He felt one of Severus's arms wrap around him gently to provide him with comfort and strength.

"Whatever you need, Pius. We are willing to provide it to get him away from the situation he has been in permanently. What do you need from us?"

Several vials of memories later, and they had a date with the court the next day at the same time.

* * *

The trial was in front of the entire Wizengamot. Harry and Severus were seated on one side of the room with a cup of black coffee for Severus and hot chocolate for Harry. There was an emergency healer standing discretely off to the side should the trauma be too much for Harry to handle during the processions.

It was precisely noon when the trial started. Albus still hadn't shown up.

"Alright, today we are here in the case of Harry Potter and Severus Snape versus Albus Dumbledore. Let the records show that Albus Dumbledore still has not arrived for his trial. We have provided him with ample time to prepare for this trial and will not be waiting on him any longer.

"Harry Potter and Severus Snape had a paternity test under sterile conditions at the Ministry of Magic in front of myself and a panel of impartial witnesses. It has been ruled that Severus Snape is the father of Harry Potter. They wish to relieve Albus of his magical guardianship and to have it transferred to Severus Snape. This verdict has been passed in the favor of Severus Snape now being the legal and magical guardian of Harry Potter. This is effective immediately.

"Albus Dumbledore, you have been brought here on the charges of neglect of a child, neglect of a student, disobeying a legal and binding will, knowingly putting your student at great risk as well as allowing your charge to be raped and abused by his muggle caretakers."

Harry looked over and saw that Dumbledore's seat was still empty. He looked towards Severus who muttered in his ear,

"He had the legal amount of warning for this hearing. They have the right to proceed with or without him here to defend himself."

"Unspeakable Eloise Mintumble, please provide the memories that were collected in a sterile ministry environment for the courtroom." Harry closed his eyes and silently cast a charm around his head so he couldn't hear the memories as they came to life in front of the entire courtroom to see. They went in chronological order, from the time Severus found Harry to present day. Harry was grateful that they had trained officials sort through every memory he had given so they could narrow down what would be the most helpful and omit what wouldn't be that helpful in the long run. Severus cancelled the silencing charm after what seemed like forever. Harry couldn't help but notice that the man was visibly shaking with rage at what the memories portrayed.

"Well," Pius and the rest of the courtroom looked rather pale and worse for wear after witnessing the memories. "I believe we owe our team of memory officials who managed to only include what is important to this case a very nice bottle of brandy. According to my notes here, this is only a small fraction of the evidence we were given. Now-"

The door burst open with a bang as Dumbledore strode in.

"Ah, thank you for waiting on me. I'm afraid your staff in the front are quite chatty." Pius ignored the rude entrance and continued with his sentence.

"Now, since we have witnessed the evidence I think some explaining is in order. And since Albus has been kind enough to finally join us, we would be very interested to hear your defense."

"My dear Pius, memories can be altered." The Unspeakable spoke up just then.

"These memories were given under the influence of a truth serum. Anything with unnecessary details were pulled from this sequence by impartial memory officials. There is nothing fake about these memories." Her voice was hard. It was obvious she didn't get upset like this often from the few surprised glances she was receiving.

Albus gulped.

"Well, I can hardly defend myself when I was stuck in a conversation with your staff upstairs, now can I? I hadn't seen any of the evidence." Pius's face hardened.

"I run a strict schedule here Albus. You know this. You were given proper notice and as such I had every legal right to start this trial without you. You were aware of this and yet you still showed an hour late. That is your own fault. However, I will give you a brief run of what we have covered so far." Harry was amused and watched Dumbledore's face go from concerned to shock to downright hatred. He cocked his head when Dumbledore turned to glare at him and felt Severus's hand on his shoulder.

"I can assure you, I have had no idea of any of this,_ if_ any of it is even true."

"Is that your defense?" Dumbledore shook his head.

"Harry Potter is known to get special treatment. No doubt he thought this little stunt would allow him to have free reign to perform magic outside of school. He is nothing more than a celebrity child that wants more special treatment and upon not receiving it in his favor this time has decided to act out. Severus here had nothing more than a light friendship with Lily Potter. No doubt he has convinced himself that he has slept with her when she was so smitten with James Potter. Petunia and Vernon Dursley are hard working individuals who took in a child they couldn't afford and who have dotted on him ever since. Anything else is simply a lie."

"Let the record show that you have declined to provide us any memory evidence to back these claims when we delivered notice of your trial today. The evidence is stacked incredibly against you, Albus. We have dozens of memories that we didn't even show of Harry Potter being raped at the age of twelve. And that's not even the half of it! We have a copy of Lily Potter's will, the only will left behind by the Potters, and it has explicit instructions that he was _not_ to go to the Dursley household."

Dumbledore kept his mouth shut. The lower level of the courtroom where Harry, Severus and Dumbledore sat suddenly went quiet and all they could see were the members of court sitting and staring at them stiffly. Severus leaned over.

"They're voting right now. This is a spell to prevent outbreaks from both parties. Rather clever, if you ask me." Harry nodded and leaned into Severus's comforting touch once more. He knew the evidence was overwhelming, but Dumbledore glaring at him wasn't making things any better. Slowly the charm disappeared and they could hear the noises of people shuffling paperwork and then could finally start to see them moving normally once more.

"Albus Dumbledore. In the case of neglect of a child you are found...guilty. In the case of neglect of a student, you are found...guilty. In the case of disobeying a legal and binding will you are found...guilty. In the case of putting students at great risk on more than one occasion you are found...guilty. In the case of allowing your charge to be raped by muggle caretakers you had appointed you are found...guilty. The Ministry will be conducting a full blown investigation into your doings at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. You are hereby relieved of your duties at Hogwarts, effective immediately.

"For the case of neglect of a child you are hereby sentenced to five years in Azkaban. For the case of neglect of a student, you are hereby sentenced to one year in Azkaban, permanently banned from holding any teaching duties or board duties for schools and fined a total of one thousand galleons that will be paid to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. For the case of disobeying a legal and binding will you are hereby sentenced to one year in Azkaban and fined a total of five thousand galleons that will be paid to Gringotts bank. In the case of putting students at a great risk you are fined a total of two thousand galleons to be paid to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. In the case of allowing your charge to be raped by muggle caretakers you appointed you are hereby sentenced to the Dementor's Kiss. Your remaining assets after paying your other fines will be transferred to Harry James Potter." The rest of the trial passed in a daze for Harry.

He saw dementors take Dumbledore away and heard the man screaming obscenities even through the closed doors. He heard Pius list off the remaining total of what would be transferred to his vault at Gringotts. He saw Severus stand and felt him take his hand and he recognized that they were going home but he had a hard time processing it all. He was finally free.

He hardly registered when they had arrived back home and almost didn't notice Tom greeting them in the library.

* * *

"How long has he been like this Severus?" Worry laced Tom's voice but he couldn't care less. Harry seemed to be in a state of shock.

"Since the verdicts. Dumbledore has been sentenced to the Dementor's Kiss. He is no longer an issue. A full blown investigation is due to start at Hogwarts. No doubt Minerva will be taking the post of Headmistress." Tom nodded and took Harry to his room. Harry obediently got dressed in the set of pajamas Tom had summoned him and got under the covers before Tom left him to sleep.

After shutting the door gently, Tom started making plans with Severus. They had gotten rid of Dumbledore, no doubt news would start spreading like wildfire about the ex-headmaster. They would use that to plant seeds of fear about the Order of the Phoenix. It would be entirely too easy to change the public opinions to line up more with theirs. The ministry was already starting to crumble as fights were beginning to break out between departments as the one's on Tom's side fought for equal rights and better laws and regulations for those who had to live with muggles outside of school.

A few hours later, he had just sat down in an armchair in his room to look out of the window by the balcony when he saw Harry outside. The wind was blowing his hair away from his face and Tom caught such a serene look on his face that he couldn't just pretend he didn't see him outside. He stood and joined Harry on the balcony.

* * *

"I never thought I'd ever be free, Tom. I...I'm actually_ free."_ A laugh tore its way through his chest and then he found he couldn't stop laughing. This feeling of being free, knowing he never had to see them again had him giddy. He could hardly believe it. He had a father that he could learn to trust and he had Tom to help him learn how to not be afraid of being intimate with people. He had an entire army of people he could command at any time. He was finally free of being manipulated and used.

When the laughter subsided he caught the look on Tom's face. He looked slightly worried but mostly happy. Without thinking, he threw his arms around Tom's shoulders and kissed him soundly as Tom spun him around in circles.


	17. Chapter 17

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

* * *

Harry couldn't be happier. After Tom had put him down, he had invited Tom into his mind to show him exactly what had transpired in the Ministry earlier that day. By the end of it, Harry was shaking like a leaf. But he had insisted he felt lighter, that he felt less ashamed after seeing other people being outraged-not at him, but _for_ him.

Tom had asked him if he wanted to have a meeting with the death eaters tonight or the next. Harry just wanted to get their ideas in motion sooner rather than later and since he had taken a nap earlier in the day, he didn't think he would be too tired by the time the meeting would start.

Somehow he felt more powerful in his robes now. The crimson fabric enveloped him like an old friend as he marched in after Tom. It was only when they sat down that the meeting commenced.

Many ideas were thrown around, but Tom concluded that the best route of action was to cause as much distrust in what Dumbledore was doing before this turn of events as possible before they speak out. Lucius, on the other hand, had different ideas.

"But, My Lord, I'm sure that if we were to jump in now then things would pan out for us. Others might try to take Dumbledore's place if we don't strike while the iron is hot." Tom had just opened his mouth when Harry spoke up. He was quite proud of himself when his voice came out strong and didn't waiver.

"Lucius. Dumbledore was just sentenced to the Dementor's Kiss for allowing Harry Potter to be raped by his family. Not once. Not twice. But many times in a week, every week he stayed with them. No one will want to try to take his place, he has soiled the purpose of his little group by allowing the boy to be taken advantage of for so long just for the sole use of having a weapon that would be pliable to his wishes! Think for a moment! If we try to advance our beliefs, then what will we look like? We will look like we are taking advantage of a situation where a _magical child_ was _raped_ his entire life! Say it were Draco in this scenario. Would you think someone coming in with new beliefs to play off of Dumbledore's downfall because of Draco being raped-even just once-would have good intentions for the rest of us?" Lucius's mouth hung open.

"N-no, My Lord. I suppose not. I didn't see it that way."

"No, you did not. How can you expect to play upon the emotions of others when you yourself cannot fathom what others will be feeling?" He turned to Tom and calmed himself. "Exactly when do you think we should strike, _My Lord?"_ Desire dripped from his voice at Tom's title. Mostly it was to imply to their followers that they had better things to do, but there was a part of him that genuinely wanted to see how Tom would react. Since the realization dawned on him that he was well and truly free of Dumbledore and the Dursleys, he felt incredibly bold. Even his dinner had been a bold choice-curry with extra spices. And right now he was incredibly happy that he got to see Tom's eyes widen in surprise at his brazen attitude.

"When the public demands change. We will have to wait for the Ministry to finish with their investigations into Hogwarts. It is highly likely that the masses will demand a reform of the rules and regulations involving the school and students who live with muggles while they are away from school. This will, in turn, will cause a lot of questions to surface regarding current ministry officials and the laws that are in place. Which is where my lovely followers will come into play. Those of you who have made names for yourselves in the ministry will have to be playing the lines carefully. You will have to push for change as soon as new information surfaces. But legally. Go to your heads of departments demanding certain laws be reformed to help prevent this from ever arising again. The proper way. No bribes. No threats. Bring up reform in meetings with as many higher-ups as you can. The public will likely want change but not know how to achieve that. This is when you, Lucius, will go to the papers. Report that things are slow moving with certain...roadblocks that do not wish to move. Plant the seed that the ones with power don't want to change how things are done. Give them a general idea of why certain laws are outdated and that they need updating. Then the public will want new faces in offices to speed things up, to see change faster. I no longer wish for moles in the ministry. I wish for officials. You're dismissed."

Harry didn't miss the look of hunger he was given, nor did he miss the knowing looks from the people leaving the table. Severus stayed behind.

"My Lord, may I have a moment of your time and the permission to speak freely?" Tom inhaled and nodded once for him to continue. "May I ask why you have given my son your eyes?"

* * *

Tom didn't miss the thinly veiled threat behind his question. And apparently, neither had Harry.

"Have they all left the wards, My Lord?" He continued when Tom confirmed the rest had left. "Firstly, I don't see how an act could hurt anyone. I wished to stay informed and this was the only way to conceal me in plain sight." He pulled off his mask and lowered his hood. "Secondly, although the age difference between us is significant, he makes me feel safe. I've never once been asked to do something I don't want to do. Look me in the eyes, and find the truth there if you must."

The silence between the two hung in the air as Severus searched around in Harry's mind for proof that Tom was treating Harry right. Finally, Severus relaxed his shoulders.

"I apologize. I worry for your safety, both as my son and as my leader." He looked to Tom. "With all due respect My Lord, if you so much as lay one toe out of line with him, I will be sure to murder you myself. I know more about potions than anyone else on this planet and I assure you there are many that not even the ministry would be able to find a hint of. Out of all your followers, I have the best working knowledge on every single type of magic out there and trust me: blood magic is a brutal thing when you combine it with potions darker than death himself." Tom noticed Harry shiver at how cold the man's voice had gotten.

"Severus, I have no intentions of ever hurting him. He is the one who leads me. Perhaps one day what we have will be a more level playing field but right now he holds all the cards, the wand and the chains. I am simply at his service, to follow his wishes." Tom looked to Harry. "I do not know how else to describe our relationship other than I follow his lead and will stop when he cannot move further." Severus's eyes narrowed and cast a silencing spell over Harry's head.

"Yes, but will you stop if he has you just on the edge of release and he cannot continue? Will you stop if he trusts you enough to penetrate him and he starts to have flashbacks? Are you capable of stopping your own hips from moving if he decides he wants to taste you? Because you have to be willing to stop through all of this, and also ensure that he does not feel guilty for needing to stop. You have to be willing to sacrifice your own needs to take care of him first. Is this remotely within your power, old friend?" There was no hesitation on Tom's part.

"I am willing to never come again if it means he feels safe around me." Severus nodded, content with the answer. "And Severus? I refuse to push him farther than he wishes to go. For a long time at night I simply lie in bed with a good book to read while he simply does nothing more than touch me. It drives me mad. He's been doodling words in parseltongue on my body and let me tell you it is_ maddening,_ feeling the source of your fantasies write out explicatives on your stomach. Nevermind the added factor that it's _subconscious._ And yet, I have never once asked him to do anything more than what he was comfortable with. What is it I tell you, Harry?"

"You tell me to never feel obligated to do more than what I am comfortable doing and that I can stop with or without explanation at any moment." At the shocked look on Severus's face, Harry continued. "These robes have many protections on them. Silencing an area even remotely around me won't work. I could hear everything. I appreciate your concern but _please_ don't describe me in any of those positions again. What would people think of my own father describing such lewd activities that involve me?" While Harry's cheeks were tinged pink, Severus's went bright red.

Tom simply laughed.

"No harm done Severus. Go back to Hogwarts, they will wonder where you are." Tom watched him reach the door when he saw Harry stand and start towards the door.

"Severus?" The man turned, his cheeks still red. "Can...I mean...Can I call you dad?" Warmth overtook Severus's stance and he rushed to Harry, hugging him tightly.

"Yes, my son." Tom could swear he saw tears run down Severus's face.

* * *

Harry took off his robes in his room and knocked on Tom's door. He was happy when it opened, and started laughing when he saw Tom standing there with a toothbrush in his mouth and foam coating his lips.

"Phut if fo funneh?" Harry laughed harder.

When he finally regained control over his emotions, he realized Tom had already spit out his toothpaste and put his toothbrush away. "I'm sorry Tom, that was just very unexpected."

"Typical. I do one normal thing and you lose your mind over it." Harry just rolled his eyes at him.

"Tom, I wondered...well...instead of just hoping into bed, can we have a bath? I've been dying to use it again and I would enjoy company…" He smiled when Tom nodded and led the way to the bathroom.

It was interesting, watching Tom methodically fill the tub with hot water, bubbles, oils and salts. The unique combination reminded him of cinnamon and apples with a touch of vanilla and something else he couldn't quite place. Sandalwood, maybe. Tom left him to undress and he sunk into the hot water and bubbles.

Sitting in this tub was like heaven. The sides had been charmed to feel like the softest cushions, making him sigh in happiness as he leaned his head back with his eyes closed. The door opened and he heard gentle footsteps on the floor before Tom joined him in the water.

Harry opened his eyes and watched as Tom came closer to sit next to him.

"You know Harry, you really shouldn't tease me so in front of our followers. They'll think I've gone soft." Harry reached out a hand and brushed against Tom's erect member.

"I actually think they'd be left to believe that you're rather hard these days." Tom chuckled, the noise making Harry painfully aware that his own member wasn't exactly soft either. It was a weird sensation, usually that didn't happen to him when he was around other people. He chose to ignore it and let his hands roam the length of Tom's member while Tom scrubbed shampoo into his hair.

* * *

Hearing Harry moan in pleasure as he scrubbed his scalp was pure torture. It didn't help that he was hyper aware of Harry's fingertips sliding up and down his shaft and even gently grabbing once or twice.

"Rinse your hair out Harry." He did as he was told and came back up from under the bubbles with a grin. It was the grin he made when he had an idea.

Before Tom could process what was happening, Harry was straddling him and their erections were sliding against one another. He heard himself cry out and clenched his hands into fists to prevent himself from taking charge. He was so deep in his own pleasure that he almost missed Harry's moan from above him.

**"Have I ever told you how beautiful you are?"** Tom mentally slapped himself. This could go either very good or very bad for him. The last thing he needed was Harry getting all self-doubtful because of some idiotic thing he said without thinking. A pink hue crept up to Harry's cheeks.

**"Do you always talk to people in parseltongue when you're in compromising situations? I don't think I'm beautiful, but you haven't lied to me yet I suppose. You're allowed your own opinions."** Tom shook his head and gently stroked his fingers over Harry's blush.

**"I didn't used to. What's the point if they can't understand? With you, however, I don't even try. It just happens. I'm not used to not having control over what bloody language I'm trying to speak. I'm not used to letting someone else set the pace. I'm not used to being with someone so young. I'm not even used to being with someone at all anymore. And I find with every single damn day you're in my life that I don't want to control everything that happens in my life anymore. I don't care what language I'm speaking as long as you can understand it. I don't care about what I'm doing as long as you're doing it with me. As much as I loathe to admit when I care about someone, I care very deeply for you Harry. I've never been so pleased with myself for one single decision in my life."**

**"What decision would that be?"**

**"To send you that journal."**

* * *

They finished their bath and dressed in pajamas for the night. Harry didn't spend the night exploring Tom's body. Instead, he laid down with Tom and fell right to sleep as Tom read his book.

He looked down at the teen, brushing his hair from his face. It had grown long enough to cover his scar and was darker now than it was before. Perhaps the sun had lightened it over time when he played Quidditch at school. He gently kissed Harry's forehead and tried to slide out of bed without waking him.

Without warning, Harry clutched at his pajama shirt and tugged. It wasn't enough to really do anything but it was enough to get the point across. He didn't want Tom to leave.

"I'll be right back Harry, give me a moment. I promise I'll be right back." Harry eased his clutch and let go. After putting his book on the nightstand, extinguishing all the candles and pulling the covers over Harry's shoulders he climbed back into bed and smiled as Harry started pulling him closer still. They fell asleep wrapped in each other's arms with smiles on their faces.


	18. Chapter 18

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

* * *

The next few months passed in a blur for Harry. The death eaters had been keeping true to the plan and the general populace was livid at the ministry for dragging their feet over keeping their laws updated for the times. Lucius was getting a lot of good attention-he knew how to play the newspapers well. He gave just enough information to enrage people, and then would placate them by suggesting new ideas. Press conferences were becoming more frequent and the Order of the Phoenix was quiet. A week before Christmas, Severus stepped forward at their meeting to inform them that the order planned on pushing for Alastor Moody to become Minister-apparently Moody was just as annoyed by this as Tom was.

"My Lord, this could work in our favor," Harry cut Tom off in one of his infamous rants. "Think of it: their one salvation for this situation is to put "Mad Eye" Moody as the minister. An ex-auror who, although effective, had very...interesting ways of getting things done. Nothing he does is ever done safely or by the books. Head of the Aurors, maybe. But something tells me he wouldn't maintain the position for long. After all, he had it once before for a single year before he retired. I don't think he wants to be minister. Too many rules and too many eyes watching his every move. Besides, parents remember him teaching their children about the Unforgivable curses by example. I'm not sure he'll be any good for their side and frankly, he just might make himself seem to be the worse option so he doesn't have to outright tell them no." Tom sat back in his chair, thinking. The death eaters sat there, stunned.

"That's a good point. It's settled then. We'll allow this to continue from them. The longer they think we don't know, the better. Now with that out of the way I want you, Lucius, to start pushing new ideas, new laws, and more regulations. Hold several conferences with the board for parents at the school and go over the findings that the ministry uncovered with a fine tooth comb. Suggest laws and ideas that would prevent such transgressions in the future. And include the muggle parents as well. If they can see more involvement with the school, then it will make the transition easier for everyone involved. I think the muggles have a resentment towards us for being excluded from the school and I'd like to remedy that."

The rest of the meeting they went over laws to prevent abusive home situations and even more laws were discussed to bring the old ones up to date. Harry stifled a yawn behind his hand after another hour and stood. The death eater that had been talking cut off his own sentence and watched him.

"I grow tired of hearing about this." He bent down and kissed Tom, leaving the older man slightly breathless with shock. "Come to me when you tire of these old men, My Lord." He winked and sauntered from the room, leaving Tom highly aroused and everyone else speechless.

* * *

The days were spent learning with Tom. By now, he was properly caught up with the rest of where he should be and at the pace he was going, he would be completely prepared for his OWLS before testing commenced at the school. They had decided that he would go to the ministry for his tests in the spring and would see how he felt about returning to Hogwarts for his sixth year. Although Harry missed a few of his friends, he felt entirely too betrayed by most to return to the castle for that long.

Nights were a little more complicated. Harry attended meetings less frequently as they were full of law debates and as such he spent those nights in the library where he would spread out his books and study. On the nights Tom was free, he spent most of his time exploring Tom's lower body. He was usually indifferent to touching Tom's erection, but he loved the way Tom's breath would hitch ever so slightly. He enjoyed watching the man shiver and try to hold himself still. Mostly, he loved getting Tom to blush and stammer. It was so infrequent that the blushing happened, and even less so the hesitation with his words. It was his goal to get Tom to start mixing up his languages mid-sentence.

It wasn't until just before Christmas that he realized he hadn't done any shopping for the holidays. He looked up at Tom, who was currently sitting in the other chair by the library fire with him.

"Tom?" He watched as Tom raised his head from the book he had been consuming. "Would you call Sev for me sometime soon? I wanted to go to Diagon Alley at some point to go shopping, if that's okay?" Tom nodded.

"Of course. I trust him with you. Still having a hard time calling him dad?" Harry blushed.

"Well, it's just that I don't get to spend much time with him so it's hard to wrap my mind around it when he isn't here. It doesn't help that I have to call him Severus at the meetings either."

"No, I suppose that wouldn't help at all. You know Harry, the public has taken quite nicely to Lucius running for the position of minister. Once he secures the position, would you like to come out of hiding during the meetings?" Harry shook his head violently.

He had thought long and hard about if he wanted the death eaters to know his true identity. It was unwise to reveal himself before he was of legal age. He didn't want any chances that his identity would get out and put Tom at risk. If word got out, people would peg Tom as a rapist that was taking advantage of him. Severus's parentage over him would be questioned, as would Dumbledore's guilt. He didn't want to give the Order anything that they could use against them until he was legal. It wasn't worth it until then.

They sat in relative silence before Harry excused himself to go through his nightly routine.

* * *

"Good morning my lord." Tom nodded back at Severus over his breakfast and offered him the chair in front of him.

"Harry should be down shortly for breakfast. Care to have a plate? Coffee?" Severus took an orange and was slicing it rather efficiently when Harry slid into the seat next to Tom. He hadn't looked up from the book he was holding and just narrowly avoided knocking his fork onto the floor by searching for it blindly.

"Harry, if you must read whilst you do other things perhaps you should learn to use your peripheral vision." Harry's head shot up as he realized who was at the table.

"S-dad? You're here already?" Severus noted the slip, but he chalked it up to Harry needing to call him Severus during meetings. It made sense since the meetings all happened in this very room.

"Yes, I have a feeling the earlier we get our shopping done, the harder it will be for you to be spotted. Besides, it will be odd should I go to Diagon Alley too late-I am known for being an early riser and rarely spend time in the public after noon." Harry nodded and put the book aside in favor of breakfast. "Did you have anywhere in particular in mind?"

Harry shook his head as he ate. It still wasn't a lot compared to others his size, but he was managing to eat quicker now. With time, his stomach would make it to a normal size but progress would be slow going.

* * *

Harry and his father left shortly after he finished breakfast and he grabbed the offered arm before they apparated to the Leaky Cauldron. In a dark corner, Severus cast a few charms to change Harry's appearance. His eyes now looked blue and his hair was a few shades lighter. His build stayed the same, but his nose changed shape ever so slightly.

They walked out to the Alley and headed to Gringotts where Harry pulled out quite a bit of money for presents.

"Any ideas what we're looking for?"

"Well, I thought about getting something for Hermione and Ron but…"

"But you're not sure how the Order would take it?" Harry nodded. "The Order knows you're my son. They've tried to get me to divulge where I've been keeping you, but I've successfully hidden that information from them for the time being. They think you're living with a private tutor somewhere in America. Although Ms. Granger would likely love to get something from you and receive word from you, I'm not sure on Mr. Weasley. His mother is convinced I've got you under some sort of potion and his sister is livid at you for disappearing. Apparently you owe her an explanation as you were apparently destined to be together." His voice dripped with sarcasm. Destined indeed.

"Maybe I'll just get him something small and write him a letter? I won't say much, obviously. But maybe he just needs to hear from me. With that being said, I think a trip to Flourish and Blott's as well as the quidditch store. I'm sure Neville will appreciate some sort of flower or other but I'm not really sure where to go for that. Luna likes the unconventional, maybe something from Flea's Market and Boutique for her? Oh and I wanted to get Nagini a heated rock for my room so she'll visit me more often." Severus nodded and started towards Flea's with Harry following him.

He took his time, cautiously picking his way through the crowded pathways. They made it about halfway through when he found a school bag that was clearly handmade a long time ago. It was some sort of patchwork job with sequins sewn in at random intervals. They were dark navy and sparkled brightly in the light. It looked to be in good condition as well, so Harry purchased it for Luna.

It was off to get Ron a supply kit for his broom and then to Flourish and Blott's for Hermione. Considering she had read most of the books for learning, Harry meandered to the fiction section. He had grown quite fond of fiction in his time with Tom and loved the stories for a short escape from his own life. He grabbed her a copy of _Wuthering Heights._ The complex nature of the characters and the higher reading level would, at the very least, intrigue her. He considered it a safe bet where Hermione was concerned.

When they were done at the bookstore, they traveled to the Magical Menagerie to pick up a large heated stone for Nagini. Harry had to request the largest one there to make sure it was big enough for her. They exited the shop and Severus headed towards the apothecary.

He was surprised when they turned to the shop just next to it instead. The sign announced it as the Herbologist's Delight. Neville would just love this shop, Harry was sure of it.

The inside had tons of plants, many of which Hogwarts had in the greenhouses. The young lady behind the counter greeted them and asked if they needed any help.

"Actually, I'm looking for a Christmas gift for a friend. He's rather smitten with all things that grow in the dirt but, quite frankly, I don't have the first clue what to get him."

"No problem. I take it he has a lot of knowledge on the subject then? He might enjoy this." She lifted a bag from behind the counter that was filled to the brim with things. "It's a rather new thing we're doing, this kit. Comes with everything he'll need to grow any plant off this list of seeds," she handed Harry a sheaf of parchment. "You get to pick what plant he'll get and we'll tailor it to that plant specifically for you." Harry practically beamed at her. Raising a plant from seed to maturity was exactly the sort of thing Neville would love.

"What do you think?" he asked Severus, handing him the parchment.

"The alihotsy might be a good choice. It's challenging to grow, but easy to maintain once it reaches maturity and can be used in a variety of things." Harry nodded and went with that. It sounded perfect; a challenge that wouldn't take up all of his time.

With their wares paid for and stowed away, they headed for some ice cream. Both of them ordered a small bowl of pistachio ice cream with cherry sauce drizzled on top.

"Was this all you wished to get? Somehow I thought you'd have at least one other to buy for." Harry blushed at the reminder. In truth, he had no idea what to get Tom.

"Well...I don't really know what to get him. He can get anything he wants really and he spends a lot of time focused on me so I hardly know a lot of what the man likes…" He raised an eyebrow as Severus started laughing.

"Tom is a man who appreciates the small things. And shopping for him is difficult, I will be the first to admit this. But he's aware that he's hard to shop for. It's the thought behind what he gets that he appreciates most, not the value in what he's given. I once gave him a bottle of french wine-it wasn't even very expensive as I was young and didn't have much to spend-but he loved it all the same because he had mentioned very briefly several months prior that he liked wine from France best. Is there anything he's mentioned or done in passing that would give us a clue on where to start for you?"

Harry thought for a long while. Tom did say the best thing he had ever done was giving Harry the journal so they could communicate. But what was he supposed to do with that? The man liked softer colors and intricate designs. He enjoyed reading, although Harry doubted there was anything at Flourish and Blott's that the man hadn't read already. Distantly, he heard himself gasp at the sudden idea.

"Severus, I read about a type of magic once, you must know about it! I can't remember what it's called, but it's got something to do with creating things with emotions."

"Soul magic? Harry, that realm of magic can get dark rather quickly."

"Yes, yes we all know that. I read about it in _Most Magic Magicks_ when I was in the library during a few meetings. What do you know about creating things with it? Nothing like horcruxes if that's what you're thinking." He then went on to explain his idea.

"Why Harry, I think that's a brilliant idea. It will be grueling work though. Right now the castle is on holiday so I won't be missed for a few days, but this will have to be done rather quickly if you wish it to happen at all. Do you think he will grow suspicious?"

"Nah, I'll just tell him we're working on potions and spending some quality time together. He'll leave us be." Severus nodded and they headed back.

* * *

They greeted Tom when they got back and Harry told Tom they would be spending some time together over the next few days. Tom seemed rather pleased about this and told them that he would be in the dining room with his planning materials over the next few days anyway. Elections were drawing ever closer, after all.

"Essentially, this sort of magic doesn't involve a wand. Rather, you have to learn to control your magic through your fingers. It makes this sort of magic particularly difficult as you have to be able to find your magical center and then manipulate it without your wand to guide you. Additionally, you then have to push your magic out of your body and then mold it to what you're trying to create. It takes extreme concentration and focus." They were sitting on the floor in Harry's room with the doors shut and the room under a silencing spell. Harry was fascinated by everything Severus was saying and was extremely excited to start.

"What you have to remember is that although it takes a lot of focus and concentration, you have to push your emotion into your magic as well. Different emotions will create different materials and different colors as well. The item you're making will, essentially, be your magic in a solid form." He paused before continuing. "Are you sure you want to do this for him Harry? It's a very personal gift to give-most consider it to be a more precious gift than virginity, particularly because of the incredibly personal nature of it." Harry nodded. It wasn't like he could give Tom his virginity anyway, not that he was going to say that out loud.

"All right then. Let's get started."

It took the entire rest of the day and most of the next for Harry to form anything with his magic, and took him another day to figure out how to make it clear crystal with a bit of a rosey-red hue. Another half a day to figure out how to make a solid deep green crystal and another day still to make the crystal silver. Severus, incredibly proud of Harry's work, had cast an unbreakable charm over the crystal and followed it up with an everlasting dust repellent charm so it never got dirty. Harry smiled as he wrapped his gifts. He would send out the gifts for his friends tomorrow, as that was Christmas Eve and readied them for their journeys. The box that held Tom's gift was given special attention and was wrapped in a light blue wrapping paper with silver ribbon. He only hoped that Tom liked it.


	19. Chapter 19

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

* * *

It was finally Christmas day and Harry was practically bouncing out of his seat in nervousness at breakfast. Tom, it seemed, wasn't big on dashing to the tree the first thing in the morning and insisted they have some food in them first. Harry did notice that the man ate quicker than usual.

They walked to the library and sat down on the floor by the huge pile of gifts under the tree Harry insisted they have. They all seemed to be mixed in with each other and Harry found that he rather liked it that way instead of the individual piles Hogwarts did. They each picked up a gift and Harry read the tag in wonder.

"Why would Yaxley get me anything?" Tom laughed.

"Harry, they have two lords now. Did you think they would neglect buying you anything? Most of it will likely be generic gifts as they don't know you as well as I, but I imagine some of the more perceptive ones will have gotten you things you're bound to like."

"Oh. That's nice of them. I wish I had thought to do the same."

"Harry, they all got their usual gifts from me and I had all the tags signed from the both of us. As far as they are concerned, it is taken care of." Harry felt a blush creeping up his cheeks and nodded before they opened their gifts from Yaxley.

Tom got a bottle of fine scotch and Harry got a bottle of wine from Italy. He rolled his eyes, knowing that he wouldn't get any use from alcohol since he was underage and passed it to Tom.

"Suddenly I have a feeling most of what they got me will have to do with being of age." They both laughed.

"I'm sorry Harry. For every bottle of alcoholic drink they get you, I'll be sure to get you a bottle of butterbeer to make up for it." Harry thanked him and they continued on.

Bellatrix had gotten him the most surprising gift of all the death eaters. It was a book on some rather lewd things you could do in the bedroom, ranging from completely vanilla to some pretty hardcore things. Harry set the book aside, blushing from head to toe at some of the things he had seen on the few pages he flipped to. Lucius, ever the observer, got him a bottle of the best butterbeer money could buy and a large selection of incredible fruits imported from Japan. He had never seen grapes so large and was eager to try the huge variety of delicious looking food. Severus had gotten him a new broom maintenance kit, a stylish pair of dragonhide boots and a set of matching gloves, scarf and hat for the bitter cold. He couldn't help but notice that the set was clearly meant for someone of the Slytherin house.

He got the traditional candy from the Weasley boys, new products from the twins as well as a thank you letter for the money to start up their shop, a Weasley sweater-this year in gold with a green H on the front-and a miniature quidditch pitch with magical figures that flew around on brooms to play the game. It had clearly been for the world cup they had gone to, but Ron had apparently taken the effort to spell the uniforms different colors so it looked more like Gryffindor versus Slytherin.

Hermione had sent him sugar free muggle candy and a book on quidditch tactics. Neville sent him a book on dark creatures that he thought Harry would find interesting and Luna had sent a rather pretty pressed daisy in a picture frame. It was then that Harry realized it was time to give Tom his gift.

* * *

Tom wasn't sure if he should be worried about the sudden look of nervousness on Harry's face or if he should just ignore it. But the moment of hesitation was gone then, and he was presented with a present that he hadn't seen yet.

It was a box that was roughly the size of the boxes Olivander had for his wands, although this was a bit bigger than that. It was wrapped in baby blue paper and tied up in silver ribbons.

"Harry, you didn't have to get me anything."

"I know. And I didn't get it for you, I made it." He looked rather smug about the technicality. "Go on, open it." The box he unwrapped had the same colors and design as the journal he had given Harry all those months ago. Gingerly, he lifted the lid and gasped at what he saw.

There in the bed of white satin was a rose made from what he strongly suspected was crystal made from soul magic. The rose was large and full of beautiful blooming petals. The inside seemed to be the deepest red that faded to the clearest crystal he'd ever seen. Each petal was lined with silver. The stem was a deep green, almost jade. It was the most realistic rose he'd ever seen, short of a real one, and for it to be made with such clarity and precision was incredible.

"Harry, how on earth did you manage to make this? Even masters of the art can't perfect this sort of detail." Harry beamed at him.

"So you like it? Dad said I took to this sort of spellwork like a fish to water, even though it took me four days to make it."

"Only four days? Harry, that's incredible! It takes most wizards at least four years before they have that sort of control over their magic to produce anything at all. I'm...I...thank you Harry." Emotion filled his voice as he gazed at the rose before lifting it from its pillow of satin.

The overwhelming emotions that emitted from it were intense. Tears filled his eyes as he felt the care and meticulousness that went into each individual detail.

"I love it Harry. Thank you." Unable to hold his thanks back any longer, he pulled Harry to him and caressed his cheek before kissing him. It was soft and gentle, speaking volumes in the emotion it carried. He felt Harry's arms wrap around his neck and he wound one arm around Harry's lower back as the other came to rest between his shoulder blades.

* * *

Harry decided that he loved kissing Tom. It was gentle and kind, almost loving even. Protective arms came to rest on his back and hold him tight but instead of feeling trapped, he felt decidedly safe here. He could get used to Tom holding him like this. In fact, he could get used to kissing Tom like this too. Before kissing had been instigated only by him, so having the tables turned was different. He liked different.

It felt like an eternity later, but eventually their lips did stop touching. They remained incredibly close to each other, breathing each other in as they processed what just happened. And then Tom kissed him again.

This time, the loving gentleness gave way to gentle passion. Harry could feel Tom swelling in his pants and wasn't completely surprised to feel himself hardening as well. He somehow ended up straddling the man with his legs wrapped around Tom's back and squeaked when he felt Tom stand.

"Tom!"

"I won't drop you Harry. I promise." With that in mind, Harry started kissing Tom's neck, nibbling here and there. To his delight, Tom groaned as he teased the skin under his chin.

He felt Tom settle onto a bed and looked around. They were in Tom's room, on Tom's bed. He had been allowed in here before, but it wasn't often. A hand trailing over his chest snapped him out of his thoughts.

"I know you've been the one to do all the touching and such so far, but may I be allowed to show you how it can feel today? To show you how you make me feel when you touch me?" Harry stiffened and relaxed in short succession before nodding. "Harry, if you tell me to stop, I will. Immediately. I swear it. I only wish to make you feel good."

"Okay." The whisper was hard to hear, but it was there. Tom gently trailed his fingers down Harry's chest and let his hand rest at the top of the teen's thigh. The other hand was busy trailing up Harry's back with featherlight touches.

Once Harry had completely relaxed, Tom slowly unbuttoned the trousers Harry was wearing. He was bound and determined to give him plenty of time to stop him if he wanted. When no such request was made, he unzipped the zipper and was surprised to see that Harry had forgone underwear that morning.

A beautiful specimen popped out of the clothing and Tom trailed a finger from the base to the tip, collecting some wetness along the way. Harry shivered and moved away from Tom to reposition himself so he was lying on his back in the middle of the bed.

"Are you sure?"

"I'm sure. My legs were going to go numb at that rate. I trust you to listen if I tell you to stop. Now continue on or I'll bloody well kill you. That felt amazing."

Tom chuckled and continued trailing his fingers over Harry's cock. It was incredibly velvety smooth and twitched at the lightest touch. Willing to go a bit father while Harry's eyes were closed, he ran his tongue over the head. A lustful groan and a twitch of hips were the only response he got before he continued.

Wasting time wasn't something he really wanted to do, so he went right for it and closed his lips over the member and slowly traveled down. He had gotten about halfway when Harry's hips bucked hard and suddenly he was deepthroating the teen's erection. Not one to waste an opportunity, he swallowed and sucked his way up and down the shaft. The noises coming from Harry were as beautiful as they were nonsensical. And they were loud, even if the noises didn't happen as much as he wanted.

It pleased him to know that Harry would make quite the vocal lover one day.

Only a few minutes later and Harry was shooting his warm seed down Tom's throat and screaming with his release.

* * *

Why had he been so nervous about letting Tom do anything to begin with? This had to be the most intense feeling he has ever had. Somehow, it was made better with the knowledge that Tom had swallowed everything-not like he had much choice with Harry's cock down his throat to begin with.

His limbs felt like noodles and he sighed in contentment with a smile on his face. Even if he could move, he didn't want to. He liked it where he was, surrounded by Tom's scent in the pile of sheets. When Tom laid next to him and rearranged him, he decided he liked it here better. Tucked into the crook of Tom's arm with an arm over his chest and listening to the man's heartbeat. When he opened his eyes, he realized Tom hadn't come yet. With a determined mind, he firmly wrapped his fingers around it and pumped.

Hearing Tom moan in his chest made Harry gasp in surprise and then groan immediately at the sheer power the man exuded. Tom came immediately after he groaned, making an absolute mess of Harry's hand. With a quick cleansing charm, Tom wrapped them up in the fluffy duvet and Harry spent the next several hours basking in satisfaction and kissing Tom to his heart's content.

It was his favorite Christmas to date.


	20. Chapter 20

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

* * *

Fred and George loved Christmas.

It was the only time they were able to stay the night at the Burrow since they were closed for the holiday. Staying up late to bicker with Ron and tease Ginny while drinking spirits with their father was exactly the sort of thing they needed to relax, particularly with how busy their shop was around the holidays. When they trudged downstairs for breakfast, they couldn't help but notice that some of the more prominent members of the Order were at the table already. Tonks and Remus had crashed the night before in the living room after staying up too late and they were joined by professor McGonagall, Kingsley, Moody and Sirius. The twins made it to the table and plopped down in chairs next to one another before grabbing plates of eggs and sausage.

"I just don't see why it's that big of a deal. I didn't want to run for this blasted position anyway! Who cares about ratings and polls? Alright there Fred, George?" They nodded, smiling. All Moody ever seemed to do was complain about the elections and all Kingsley did was bring the dreaded subject up. "Anyways, it's good to see you all but I must be going now. I've been _ever so kindly,_ signed up for interviews on Christmas. Christmas, of all days!" Kingsley and Moody stood as they thanked Molly for breakfast and left.

"Seems like Kinsley has had it in for poor ol' Mad Eye, eh?" Fred snickered at George's observation while the rest of their siblings joined them all at the table.

It was lively, full of chatter and loud. Ron had gotten into a heated discussion over what broom was the best with Ginny and McGonagall was arguing with Remus on why he should come back to teach.

Somehow, the subject of gifts was brought up and everyone rushed to the living room to open their spoils for the year.

The twins didn't expect anything from anyone other than Molly, but were pleasantly surprised to see some butterbeer and firewhiskey from McGonagall and Remus. They got their usual sweaters, this year in blue with 'Forge' and 'Gred' knitted in white. Beaming, they practically smothered her in hugs.

"Finally accepted us as one then?"

"It's about time!"

"Thanks mum, these are the best ones yet!"

"You're the best!" Molly practically smiled her face off at her set of twins. Had she known they would have been that happy over it, she would have done it years ago. It wasn't until Hermione squealed that the wrapping paper stopped flying.

"What are you on about Hermione?" For once, Ron swallowed the candy he was chewing before talking.

"Harry sent me my favourite book. I wonder how he knew? The cover on my copy isn't nearly this pretty!" Surprise colored Ron's face.

"Harry got you a gift? I didn't think we would hear from him. Not since...well..." He went silent before suddenly starting to shuffle around in his pile until he held up a gift he hadn't unwrapped yet. "Look at this, I've got one too! Not the book, but a present I mean. Brilliant, he always seems to know when I need another one of these kits. I was just thinking about it the other day." A piece of parchment fell out of the box he was holding and he opened it.

"Well, what's it say Ron?"

"We're curious, come on now-what's it say?" Ron cleared his throat and read the letter aloud.

_"Ron, and presumably everyone else too,_

_"I know I haven't written and for that, I'm sorry. Things got complicated in my life as I'm sure you've heard and I've forgotten to keep track of time. Please don't be mad at Severus-he's been doing what he had to do to protect himself and his position of spy._

_"I hope you all aren't too mad about what happened with Dumbledore. If you would like me to explain things more than what the papers did, you'll have to let me know. I'd like to do it in person, but it isn't safe for me to leave where I am yet. The rest of this letter is only for Ron and Hermione."_ Ron held out the parchment and they leaned in towards each other to read it together.

_'I know you two must be terribly concerned. Trust me, I'm alright. I'm safe and surprisingly happy where I am. I did want to ask you, what are your opinions on Voldemort this time around? What about Severus being my father? Not the Order's opinions, your opinions._

_'I desperately wish that we could meet up and talk, but I can't for fear that the Order will try to steal me away before they get the entire story. What have they told you about any of this? I know you know what's been in the paper but I want to know what they've been talking about at their meetings and with you two._

_'I really hope the things that have happened won't stop our friendships. I value your opinions immensely and to lose either one of you would hurt me greatly. I've always been there for you two, please stick around to be here for me too._

_'On a lighter note, I'm sure Hermione may suspect this so here's to you for always being right Hermione. I'm not into girls. I like men. Specifically one man-no, it isn't Severus Ron!-but I will tell you with time. I love you two always, be sure to write back soon and be sure to cast that concealment charm Hermione taught us last year on your letters to me._

_'Happy Christmas,_

_'Harry'_

The twins looked at each other wondering what on earth Harry could have put in that letter that would have Ginny looking incredibly put-out from behind them and having Ron blanch before a look of relief flooded his face while Hermione smiled. They put it to the backs of their minds. If Harry wanted to tell them, he would in his own time.

"A present has gone missing! I'm missing the one Harry sent me. I was sure I saw it a moment ago."

"Gin," Ron gave her a pitying look. "He didn't send one. He didn't want to get your hopes up."

"What do you mean he didn't want to get my hopes up?"

"Well Gin, he's not interested in you that way. He's gay." The brief moment of silence was broken by her screeching.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN HE'S GAY? DON'T YOU REALIZE I'M DESTINED TO BE WITH HIM? HOW COULD YOU TEASE ME LIKE THAT?!"

"Gin, he's not teasing. Harry's gay. It's been obvious since the beginning of third year. All he ever does is check out guys when he thinks we aren't looking." Hermione's voice was drowned out by more screeching.

* * *

By the time the ministry would let Harry take his OWL tests, he was halfway through the sixth year's agenda-half a year ahead of where he was supposed to be. Tom was incredibly busy with the ongoings in the ministry since Lucius had become minister and was pushing his followers hard for more regulations that made logical sense. The public was incredibly happy with how quickly things were getting done, but his followers were working double-time just to barely keep up with Tom's plans.

Their nights together hadn't gone very far beyond Christmas morning. Tom was constantly exhausted and often fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow. Harry was using his extra time to create smaller crystals with his magic.

Severus visited on Easter and every other Sunday to ensure that Harry's studies were progressing the way they should be. Harry found that he enjoyed it most when they sat down to play a game of chess, even if Severus did slaughter him every single time.

His OWL results came in two weeks after Severus had taken him in for his tests, just when Hogwarts would be letting out for the summer.

"Here's your results Harry. The ministry sends out individual results before Hogwarts." A bowl of fruit was pushed towards him at the table for breakfast along with his letter. He was surprised to see he had an O in everything except divination.

"Very well done Harry. I'm proud of you. It seems like all the extra studying is going to set you up for a very promising future." Harry smiled at his father and took a bite out of a strawberry.

"It's thanks to Tom really. He's been so busy with politics that I don't get to see him anymore and there's little else to do here besides study or make more crystals." Harry couldn't help but notice that Tom had a slight blush creeping into his cheeks.

"Speaking of the future Harry, did you have any plans? Any ideas as to what you'd like to do after your schooling is complete?" Tom's voice held a slight edge to it, like he regretted not spending more time with him.

"Well, I didn't really-"

"Be quiet! Harry, put your robes on. NOW!" The bowl in front of Harry disappeared as he was shoved from the dining room. Not one to question that tone in Tom's voice, he scurried to his room and put the crimson robes on faster than he ever had before. Feeling much more calm with the mask on his face, he turned to see Nagini slithering off of her heated rock to wind her way up Harry's body so she was draped gracefully over his shoulders.

**"Good morning, New Hatchling. Shall we go intimidate some of Master Hatchling's henchmen?"**

**"I think that's a good idea, Nagini. Someone came without warning today."** Harry walked back to the dining room at a leisurely pace as Nagini insulted the intelligence of the idiot that thought he could waltz right in without warning.

To Harry's surprise, it was Dolohov. He was going on and on about how there were protesters at the ministry about some law or other that was being passed that afternoon. Harry didn't want to deal with this today. He wanted to enjoy his morning with Tom and his father. He came up behind Tom and wrapped his arms around his shoulders before turning his head and claiming Tom's lips with his own. Somewhere outside the moan that left his throat he heard Nagini hissing at the death eater.

**"-getting in the way of Master Hatchling and New Hatchling, I ought to bite you in the arse! How can I _possibly_ get New-New Hatchlings if you Idiot Hatchlings keep interrupting them! Go on, get out! That's it! The only ones allowed to interfere here is the Sassy One and myself!"**

**"Nagini, that's enough darling. Thank you for standing up for us, even if he can't understand it."**

**"My pleasure, New Hatchling. You are planning on giving me-"**

**"Nagini, that's enough. Slither along now."** Nagini practically rolled her eyes as she went to find a nice sunny spot, probably in the library.

"Now, My Lord, what_ exactly_ has our morning been interrupted for?" Dolohov practically shivered in his boots as he waited for Tom to reply.

"It seems there is another protest about the werewolf bill that's being passed today. You remember, the one about werewolves being entitled to equal consideration for jobs and equal pay?"

"Ah yes, that one. I'm sure you can handle the protest Dolohov. It was far worse when we gave the centaurs more land and more rights within our government. Now scurry along, we wouldn't want Nagini to find you on your way out." Harry sat down in his chair and promptly ignored the man in favor of letting Tom feed him a bite of sausage that was on his plate. Dolohov practically fled from the grounds.

When Tom said he had left the wards, Harry took off the mask and set it on the table.

"Now, I believe Tom asked you if you had any plans for the future?" His father's cheeks were tinged pink.

"Actually, I have no ideas. Really, I don't know how that would even work with me being your son and Tom's...well...whatever we are. How are we even going to address all this?" Severus thought for a few moments before clearing his throat.

"You two have decided to keep your identity a secret until after you come of age, yes? So we have until then at least before we have to cross that bridge. Plenty of time to create a plan. In the meantime, have you heard back from Miss Granger and Mr. Weasley? I recall you mentioning that you wanted to talk to them to explain yourself to them over the summer. Have you thought more on it?" Harry nodded.

"Yes, I owe those two an explanation if nothing else. Do you think we could meet them somewhere to talk to them where the Order won't try to kidnap me back? Or follow them?"

"I think most of them trust me, but not enough to allow you and your friends out of their earshot. The twins did mention to me that they trusted me to be taking care of you, feeding you at least. Perhaps we can meet with Miss Granger and Mr. Weasley at that joke shop the twins own? I'm sure Molly and Arthur will think nothing of letting them wander about there for a day on their own."

"Brilliant! Would you set up a day for me?"


	21. Chapter 21

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

* * *

Harry was waiting impatiently for Tom to come to bed while reading a novel in Tom's room. He was dressed in black fluffy pajama bottoms and had a deep blue silk robe tied loosely around him and was subconsciously fidgeting with the hem. It had to be some time later, at least an hour, before he heard movement in the hallway.

_That's odd, Tom usually doesn't come to our bedrooms for another hour or so. I wonder why he's early, not that I'm complaining..._Tom opened the door and Harry stood to walk towards him. He was feeling much more confident than he had in the past. He had come to accept that Tom wasn't going to hurt him and that gave him the courage to approach the man in the doorway.

Seeing the surprise on Tom's face upon finding Harry in his room, he glided forward and wrapped his arms around Tom's neck before pulling him down into a kiss. He felt himself smile into the embrace as Tom responded, wrapping him in warm arms that held him close and kissing him for all he was worth.

It wasn't anything like when they were in front of the death eaters. When others were around it wasn't so intense. But then again, Harry was usually trying to prove a point when there was an audience. Now though, there was no one to perform for. Only Tom was there, and Harry was determined to get his mind to shut up for a few minutes. He had noticed Tom was distracted more often than not.

"Harry," Tom gasped. "What are you doing in my room?" The voice held only thinly veiled desire and curiosity.

"I've noticed you've been distracted lately with all of your political stuff and just wanted to get your mind off of it for a night. I believe you've been thinking too hard; all you ever do is pace and run over the same thing over and over again when you aren't holding a meeting to find out the latest news." He tucked his head into the crook of Tom's neck and practically glowed as firm arms wrapped around his back to hold him in place.

"Thank you, my Harry. I'm sorry I've been so distracted lately. I didn't mean to neglect you." Harry's heart swelled at the pet name and pressed himself closer as a hand started to gently card through his hair.

"There's nothing to be sorry for. We can all be distracted once in awhile." Pulling himself out of Tom's arms, he started to undo his robes and shirt. Neither one of them spoke until Tom was only left in his trousers and shoes. "Go take a shower, I'll be here when you return." With that, he took a running leap at the bed and landed square in the center of the decorative pillows. Tom simply laughed all the way to the bathroom.

**"New Hatchling?"**

**"Yes, Nagini?"** The snake in question slithered up on top of the bed and curled herself up on top of Harry to soak up his warmth while he petted her head.

**"Why is Master Hatchling so opposed to New New Hatchlings?"** Harry's face burned crimson as he tried to gather his composure.

**"Uh...Well...He and I are both male. It isn't possible for two males to have New New Hatchlings."**

**"Yes it is."** Nagini's hisses came off as very matter-of-fact, and Harry was briefly reminded of Hermione. **"Master Hatchling talked of such a thing when he was searching for knowledge before he was solid. He said it was something to do with power. Master Hatchling does have a lot of power. I can smell it. You have a lot of power too."** Harry felt his cheeks begin to warm.

**"Nagini?"**

**"Yes, New Hatchling?"**

**"Why do you wish for him to have New New Hatchlings so badly?"**

**"Master Hatchling has been lonely for a very long time. I have only seen him with a few others and they were not around this long. He has always pushed them away. Even the ones who wished to stay were shoved aside. But New New Hatchlings...even if he pushed aside his mate, he could never push aside New New Hatchlings. Besides, I could guard them. I find myself lacking in a use for my venom and fangs."** A wave of insecurity washed over him as he thought about how the others before him had been cast aside like they never mattered.

**"Do...do you think he would push me aside?"** The loud and forceful hiss that Nagini let loose on him was frightening, to say the least.

**"I hope I didn't hear that right! How could you think Master Hatchling would toss you away? He would rather die first! You are the first besides the Sassy One that he has confided in and respected!"** She softened her words after her tirade. **"Master Hatchling has chosen you as his mate. He cares for you too much to allow anything to come between you."** She slithered off the bed and back onto the floor as Tom came out of the bathroom in his pajama bottoms.

**"Remember this, New Hatchling. He gave you his eyes. No one else has had that privilege and no one else ever will."** She reared up to Tom's eye level and hissed at him.

**"You will do well to remember where he comes from and the support he needs, Careless One! I don't want to hear one more hiss of self doubt from your mate again!"** Tom nodded, eyes wide, and watched her leave with his brow furrowed in confusion.

"What was all that about, Harry? Usually seeing you puts her in a better temperment." Harry, suddenly feeling nervous, rubbed the back of his neck.

"Ah, well that may have been my fault. You see...I got curious and I asked her why she wants you to have kids so much and...well…" Tom heaved a sigh and climbed atop the pillows with him.

"I take it somehow the others were brought up?" Harry nodded and fought back the feeling that he wasn't good enough. "Harry, she doesn't really know emotions or attachments like we do. I am her master, and she my companion. She knows who to like and who to dislike based on their relation to me. But she does not understand why humans mate for reasons other than children. Snakes mate for procreation, it's less of a pleasurable pastime and more of a duty that comes with life. I am not old, per se, but I have been with enough that if I were a snake I would have had a few broods. I'm sure she thinks there's something wrong with me. And I also think she wishes that she could have her own. I haven't been able to find another of her kind, and so she grows lonely while she watches me suffer the same fate." Tom paused to gather Harry in his arms and kissed his forehead softly.

"The others were...lackluster. They either had no personality or they had a personality that I didn't wish to be around. There was very little in the way of feelings other than mutual physical attraction. I think the one managed to stick around for two months. Harry, you are _everything_ I could have ever wanted. You're witty, beautiful, smart, and adorably shy. You care for others even if they have wronged you and you strive to make everyone around you feel better even if you are at your worst. I couldn't have wished for anyone better than you if I had tried." Harry felt his cheeks darken once more.

"Is it...I mean, I grew up with pretty closed-minded muggles but Nagini mentioned…Well..."

* * *

Tom chucked simply because he didn't know what else to do. He hadn't thought that Harry might not know things like this.

"In certain circumstances, yes it is possible. For women it is easier. There is an altered polyjuice potion that will allow one to turn into a male version of themselves for an hour. I've heard it's quite the experience. For men it is more difficult than that. One man cannot take that same potion during their pregnancy-firstly due to needing it every single hour, and secondly because it has ingredients that are fatal to fetuses. Many have tried, and all have failed that way.

"There are contraception potions that are being developed but all of them are in developmental stages and even Severus's has taken over a decade to get it only partially done. Spells are, again, temporary. They wear off after a few days and only allow one to simply more prone to getting pregnant. So far the only way for two men to have a child and carry it to term is by simply being very powerful. Their magic has to be strong enough to change your body enough to allow it to occur and even then, there is the daily regime of potions. Once your magic starts the process, you become utterly exhausted all the time and have to reduce your use of magic to the bare minimum. And I mean _minimum._ The worst thing you could do is drain yourself of the very thing that sustains the organs that house the fetus." He paused to contemplate Harry's expression. He looked to be torn between wonder at such a thing being possible and terror that such a thing was possible.

"Harry, it usually takes many times to even have that as a possibility and even then, only when your magic truly wants it. It isn't enough that the carrier wants it. The magic has to want it, too. From both parties. Don't stress yourself over it, Harry. You and I haven't gone that far anyway and besides, your father would murder me if he knew I told you about any of this to begin with."

Bringing that up seemed to do the trick and he joined Harry in laughter.

* * *

It wasn't very long before Harry managed to put that conversation out of his mind and he was back to devouring Tom's mouth. It was nice, but he wanted Tom to take control, to push his boundaries a little more tonight. They had plenty of dalliances in the night, but Harry wanted Tom to take it farther. He was tired of setting the limit and wanted Tom to be the leader he was meant to be.

Pulling away from Tom's embrace, he looked up at Tom's crimson eyes.

"Tom please...I don't want to lead tonight. I just want…" He trailed off as his mind drifted to the dream he had the night before.

_Tom was above him, licking every inch of skin his tongue encountered. A breath ghosted over a nipple and Harry cried out as his back arched. Warm hands slid over every inch of his skin, igniting a fire under his skin and in his belly. A throaty groan escaped from someone as Tom sucked and nibbled at his hip before letting his tongue escape to his very core…_

Harry pulled himself back to the present and noticed that Tom's eyes were slightly glazed over with pure, unadulterated desire. He had never been happier when Tom nodded and pulled him down onto the bed and practically devoured his neck. The sensations were exciting and new and although a part of Harry was incredibly nervous at handing over the reins, he was confident that Tom wouldn't hurt him.

To Harry's surprise, Tom did exactly what Harry had been remembering the dream Tom to be doing and he blushed at the realization that Tom had seen everything he had remembered. That was quickly followed by the hope that maybe Tom would do _everything_ he had seen in Harry's mind just then. He felt incredibly dirty at the prospect but in a delicious, naughty sort of way.

He was harder than stone by the time Tom's wonderful mouth made its way to his hip and he couldn't stop the cries of pleasure when he felt a hand finally trail fingers up the length of his manhood. It was slow and teasing and absolute bliss. He didn't even notice the wet trail that was headed for lower areas until the wetness was _inside_ him.

His hips practically jumped off the bed in surprise and Harry groaned deep in his throat as Tom's tongue teased him mercilessly. It was sinful and new and different and absolutely the most amazing thing he had ever felt. When a finger joined the tongue, Harry almost screamed at the feeling. This was different than anything his uncle had done to him. This was gentle and teasing, stretching him impossibly slowly and tenderly. His uncle was only ever violent and cruel.

As the hand on his cock tightened just a tad bit more, he twisted his hips and suddenly screamed as he came. Tom's tongue and finger continued to move in him as he came down from the bliss and slowly withdrew as he calmed. A self satisfied smirk graced the man's face.

"What was _that?"_

"That, my dear, was your prostate. It's a bundle of nerves."

"It's a bundle of heaven, more like." Tom chuckled and started licking his way back up Harry's body. To Harry's surprise, he felt desire bubble back up to the surface of his skin once more as he watched Tom eagerly consume the semen that had fallen on his stomach and chest. It wasn't the burning, all-consuming passion he had felt just before, but it was slow and delicious feeling. Tom paid particular attention to the insides of his wrists and elbows, sucking and nibbling on every square inch of skin he could find. When teeth grazed a nipple, Harry came once more. It wasn't as powerful as before, but it was sweet and gentle. His bones turned to jelly and he snuggled into the bed further before encouraging Tom to pleasure himself.

"Tonight was about you, my Harry. I'll be fine."

"But I want to watch you touch yourself." Harry put on his best pout. "I like watching you pump your cock as you imagine yourself in me." It worked like a charm and soon Tom was playing with one of his nipples while he jerked himself off as Harry described all the things he wanted Tom to do to him.

"Wouldn't it be so nice Tom, to wake up and see me riding you in the early hours of the morning? Or to have me on your lap in a meeting while you're inside me?" That's when Tom lost his control and came all over Harry. After a quick cleaning spell to clean up the mess, Tom collapsed next to Harry and pulled him close.

"I rather like that last idea. Once you're more comfortable with going that far, perhaps I will take you up on that offer." Harry was drifting off to sleep but smiled and nodded.

"I'd like that."

"So would I, my darling Harry. So would I."


	22. Chapter 22

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

* * *

Excitement bubbled in Harry as soon as he woke up. He was going to see Hermione and Ron today and he was bound and determined that nothing was going to ruin it. Breakfast was a rushed affair while he contemplated all that he was going to talk about with his friends. It had been so long since he had seen them, and he had left the planning up to his father as to where and when they would meet.

"You remember the plan Harry?" He nodded. Severus was going to apparate him directly into the back room of the twins's shop and then apparate to Diagon Alley from there to distract Molly while Ron and Hermione went on to look at the newest prank material. "And you remember that no one other than those two are allowed to see you? We don't want the order catching wind of you being there. Word in the ministry is that they are beyond mad about you being Severus's son and staying with him. Yaxley heard from Mudungus that you're being kept as Severus's sex slave, of all things." Harry shuddered and heard the words leave his mouth before he fully comprehended what he was about to say.

"While I admit, he's attractive in his own way, I really only seem to be attracted to red eyes." He glanced up shyly, wondering just what in the world had compelled him to say that. Upon seeing the ever so slight tinge of pink at Tom's cheekbones, he relaxed.

"I didn't think you knew how to flirt." The voice of his father floated into the room and Harry turned to his father.

"I didn't think you knew what flirting even was." Severus smiled at his cheek and helped himself to an apple.

"Contrary to the general populace thinking I'm a walking virgin, I assure you I'm well aware of what flirting is. Your mother used to tell me I was good at it if my partner could keep up." He winked and sat down to help himself to some pumpkin juice.

"She really thought that?" The plate of eggs in front of him lay forgotten at the mention of his mother.

"She did. Of course, she deemed only herself able to keep up with me in the first place. Lily had a fascination with my ability to string words together faster than most professors. Are you ready to head out? Your friends will be there shortly, if they aren't there already." Harry nodded and turned to follow Severus out the front door before being pulled aside by Tom.

"Promise me, Harry, that you'll be careful while you're out today. I need to know that you will be safe and that you'll keep yourself hidden. Promise me, Harry." Scarlet swirls of desperation and concern floated to the surface of Tom's eyes.

"Of course Tom. I won't do anything that wasn't planned. I'll be safe, I'm with dad for most of the day anyways. I promise I'll be careful." Tom pulled him close and kissed him before letting him go with Severus. At least the death eater looked placated by the genuine concern Tom had for Harry's well being.

* * *

Hermione practically bowled him over when she caught sight of him. She had grown an inch or so and had filled out quite a bit since the last time Harry had seen her. And her hair was certainly less frizzy-it was more wavy now and hung in long rivulets down her back. Ron on the other hand had shortened his hair on the sides and grown at least another foot tall. He hung back, grinning ear to ear to see Harry once more.

"You simply _must_ tell us how you've been! Are you okay living with Snape? What's he like? Does he really spy for Albus or is it some sort of triple agent thing? You look so much healthier than the last time I saw you! He must be taking care of you. That's good to see-"

"Hermione, let the man breathe!" Ron's interruption was good natured and made the girl color with embarrassment.

"I'm sorry Harry, I've just been so worried." He laughed.

"It's alright but maybe let me answer before asking more questions."

"How is living with him? We heard...well...Mundungus isn't really a quiet sort of fellow and...well…" Ron shook his head and finished her lingering question.

"Is he buggering you, mate?" Shock colored Harry's face at the blunt question. "Or I guess are either one of you buggering the other?"

"N-no. He's my father for cripes sake! That's just...it'd be too weird. He's handsome but not really my type." Relief rushed to their faces and the questions came rolling in once more.

"Alright, I'll tell you what I can for now. I'm living in a beautiful house with a bedroom of my own and I've been eating as much as I want any time I want. Dad helps tutor me with potions and some other forms of magic and helped me prepare for my OWLS. I've been on NEWT level material since Christmastime. I'm still not sure about returning to school...there's a lot of Order members who are convinced Severus abducted me against their will and had some of the da-Voldemort's lackies forge paperwork so he could 'adopt' me as his own. They've been planning on kidnapping me, some of them although I don't know who. Ginny's only sent me a thousand howlers, all of which are promptly incinerated before they can start screaming at me." Ron flinched at the mention of his sister.

"Sorry mate, I don't know what to do about her. Mum keeps telling her it'll happen if it's meant to be and Ginny has taken that advice as 'pursue until he caves' apparently. Even Bill and Charlie have told her to lay off."

"It's not like you can control her Ron. She'll get over me soon enough."

"Speaking of matters with the heart, who is it that you've met Harry? It's been eating me up alive not knowing anything about your relationship!"

"Well...I can't tell you who it is. But he's amazing to me. He's been incredibly patient and insists that I lead everything so he doesn't go farther than I'd want." Seeing the questions burning in Hermione's eyes, he wrapped his arms around himself.

"I'm assuming you read the papers after the trials with Dumbledore. The Dursley's...they...I could deal with the abuse and the starving and all that but…" Hermione seemed to read between the lines and pulled him into a hug while he sobbed into her shoulder.

"Shh, they'll never be able to hurt you again Harry. For what it's worth, McGonagall found out what happened and had quite a bit of vengeance on them for you. He's been serving prison time, sans his bits and bobs. From what I hear, prisoners don't forgive people like him. Take comfort in the fact that he is being served every ounce of what he gave to you and more every single day." Surprisingly, hearing what McGonagall had done to his uncle made him feel less horrible and his sobs quieted down rather quickly after that.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to break down like that. I've just missed you two so much and it hurts that I can't be fully honest with you two yet for my own safety. You never did tell me though, what are your opinions on the war and all that tripe?"

Hermione glanced at Ron who readjusted to sit on the edge of his seat.

"Well, that's the thing mate. We've seen a lot of the Order do a lot of things lately that we don't agree with. Forcing Moody to run for Minister was just the beginning. Now they're bribing their way through the Ministry to try and get laws that are changing to stay the way they are. It's effectively stopping any progress the Ministry tries to make. They just managed to stop a law from passing that would give centaurs more land and rights. Vampires are being shoved back into some serious oppression and werewolves…" He looked to Hermione.

"Werewolves are no longer allowed to work within the Wizarding World. They can't marry or have children anymore either. Remus was furious when he found out that was Kingsley's idea. But Harry...Malfoy has been pushing for laws that make sense. He's been doing things like making St. Mungo's have literature on lycanthropy and vampirism to inform people that although they are dangerous conditions they are just that: conditions. A few of the people that we know work with Voldemort have been proposing laws that will allow hybrid beings to have more rights." She paused and looked uncertainly at Ron.

"We think that if people like Malfoy are pushing for things like that, then maybe we've been told some things that don't really add up. We're curious to see why this is happening and-not to put too fine a point on it-we wanted to know what you think about it all."

"Honestly if I knew I could have just a chat with the snake-face devil, I would. I just want to know the truth. We trusted Dumbledore for so long but he had horribly weak excuses for what he did to you. And he was intelligent enough to know exactly what went on in that damn house." Harry nodded and heard someone just outside the door.

"Maybe you two should start going with dad out to the forest to help him gather potions ingredients. He could use the help." With a loud bang the door to the room they were in burst open and Ginny tore out of George's grasp.

"Harry! I knew I could hear your voice! I've missed you so much!" She sprang onto him and kissed him soundly. Upon realizing his unresponsiveness, she took to nipping at his lips while he tried to pull away.

"Gin, I know that you know I'm gay. And even so, I've told you before, I don't like you that way." Her eyes grew wide and desperate at the words.

"No, he's just brainwashed you! I know he's made some sort of potion to make you think you want him! You're just under a love potion, that's all-"

"Ginny, mum warned you to not do this." Ron grabbed her from behind and she managed to kick him off.

"I'll not let him be taken from me! Do you understand? I love him!" Before Harry could process anything else, his world went dark.

* * *

"Ronald Weasley, how_ dare_ you let your sister kidnap Harry Potter?!"

"Mum, it happened pretty quickly! How was I to bloody well know she had a portkey?"

"It's no matter now Molly, we need to figure out where the hell it is she's taken him before anything else happens."

"Arthur's right. No one can know about this. Now if anyone has any ideas of where the chit has taken him, speak up!" The room was met with silence until the twins spoke up.

"She did always like-"

"-going to this moore-"

"-just outside of sight from the kitchen window."

"Thing is-"

"-there's an abandoned shed-"

"-used to belong to a muggle family-"

"-we'll start there."

The rest of the room sat and stared at the spot the twins had just been standing before chatter broke out once more.

"I'll check the Burrow with Ron."

"I'm going to search Grimmauld Place."

"I'm off to check Diagon Alley and St. Mungo's." With that everyone left to start searching for Harry and Ginny.

* * *

Groaning, Harry tried to sit up only to realize he was already sitting up. He was propped up against a wall of some sort, although the ground was pretty soft. And his legs were warm, although he couldn't move them.

"It's about time you've woken up." His eyes shot to where he heard the voice coming from and squinted in the hopes that he could see through the dark. No such luck befell him.

"I've been worried that I gave you too much. That you wouldn't be awake for it. After all, you're about to father a child with me. I'd say you'd want to be awake for that." Fear flooded Harry's veins and he tried to move. It took all of his strength and concentration to move his fingers on one hand. He couldn't even open his mouth to talk.

"But it's no matter. The fertility potion will take a few days to really be effective anyways, so we have a few days of practice for the main event." He felt Ginny straddle his legs and was suddenly grateful for the cloth barrier that was between them.

_It's a blanket...and this is a bed. I'm propped up against the headboard of a bed. My clothes are still on. It's dark. I can't move. I can't talk. I've been drugged._

Thinking through his situation seemed to clear his mind of any remaining fog sleep had left and he started running through his options.

_I can't call for help because of the drug she gave me. I can't move to restrain her-again due to the drug. But I can think and I can focus. Maybe I can fashion some sort of weapon while she isn't looking from soul magic...but that won't help because I won't be able to wield a weapon. But I can think...**TOM!**_

* * *

Tom quietly turned a page in the book he'd been reading when a thought suddenly forced its way into his mind. The ferocity of it nearly blew him backwards.

**_TOM!_** It took him a moment before he realized where he had heard that voice before.

_Harry? What's wrong?_

_Tom, she's got me. Ginny, she barged in on us while we were talking and had a mental breakdown and I somehow ended up...I don't know where. Tom you have to find me! You have to find me before she follows through with this. PLEASE Tom, please find me._ The voice was full of panic and fading while Tom scrambled to keep their mental link open.

He didn't have an exact placement, but he did manage to find a general location. He didn't even bother to leave the wards, he simply started apparating closer and closer to where his Harry was being held.


	23. Chapter 23

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

* * *

Finding Harry was beginning to seem bloody impossible.

Tom had been apparating for nigh on an hour and still hadn't gotten any closer to finding Harry. Pushing back the panic that was attempting to settle in his bones, he took a moment to think.

The link he shared with the horcrux in Harry was foggy and distorted. He had a hard time keeping a firm grip on it. But every now and again Harry seemed to have the strength to reach out to find him again as if things weren't so hazy to him as they were to Tom. Each time that happened, Tom managed to apparate a little closer but then Harry would have to gather the strength to find him and reach out to him once more.

The endless forests were starting to merge together into one large mass of trees and darkness in the wilderness. There wasn't any noise but that of the wildlife around him. Magical creatures had left their mark on this land long ago, and had abandoned it. It wasn't uncommon for magical creatures to abandon forests once humans made frequent visits.

He could feel that he was getting closer, their link strengthening all the while. The stress to their minds was lessening and communication was becoming easier although Harry was now so panicked and withdrawn into his own mind he was only getting flashes of emotion and the general direction of which he needed to travel.

He apparated once more.

_The area he's in is musty and dark. So dark he stopped trying to see exactly what it was that Ginny was up to. He could practically smell the cold dampness of the room. Somewhere in the distance he heard Ginny get up and talk about how wet she was for him before opening a door and closing it again. A loud metal clink sounded before the footsteps faded away…_

Tom jerked himself back into his own mind and practically saw red. That bint had him locked away in a dungeon cell. Harry might not have realized it yet, but if there was one thing that Tom knew it was what a dungeon cell would feel and sound like. And she had _locked_ him in! Her idiocy would cost her dearly.

It only took a few more apparations to realize he had gone just a few miles too far and needed to backtrack.

* * *

"What do you _mean_ that Harry and Ginny weren't there?!" Molly screeched at Fred and George.

They had just appeared back in their back room at their shop to deliver the bad news when their mother practically pounced on them both.

"Mum, we're-"

"-flummoxed as well! We really thought-"

"-that she would have taken him there."

"Y'know, because-"

"-where else would she take him?" They chimed together for added emphasis.

"Well you two better put your heads together to figure it out!" Before she could continue, Snape apparated in while clutching his left arm.

"T-the dark lord knows that Harry is missing. We _must_ find him. Have any of you received any clues?" Upon seeing them all shake their heads he nodded. "I will go to the Dark Lord and see if I can't detain them or distract them. Maybe I'll receive more insight as to where she could have gone with him. I must leave but _do not stop looking for Harry."_ Severus disappeared just as quickly as he had come.

* * *

Tom had retraced his steps over and over again and yet he still could not find the wench that had stolen Harry from him. Unwilling to go down the road to insanity once more, he activated the dark mark on Severus for him to help him remain logical.

He rounded on Severus once he appeared.

"And exactly just where have you been all this time?" His eyes widened when he saw how pale Severus was and how he clutched his arm.

"My Lord, I only needed a moment to inform the others where I was going to retain my position. You called me only two minutes ago." His voice was strained as he practically collapsed onto his knees rather than kneel gracefully.

Tom immediately stopped the pain in Severus's mark and wrung his hands.

"He's here somewhere Severus. His mind is in this area but I cannot for the life of me figure out exactly where or how. I need your help. I am...not well, Severus." He watched as the man stood and took in his surroundings. It took several tense minutes as he waved his wand through the air and tested for wards, charms and all sorts of magical traces but found none.

"Where do you feel he is the closest?" Tom indicated to the spot he had been pacing in and Severus waved his wand to scatter the leaves on the forest floor. A small metal door was revealed to them not too far away and Severus opened it.

"Down we go, My Lord?" Tom nodded and followed him down the ladder.

* * *

The ladder went on for what seemed like forever. It eventually gave way to a short hallway with one door on the left and a cell door on the right. Tom practically rushed the cell before Severus stopped him. Just about to turn and verbally lash him into next week, Tom stopped himself as Severus held a finger to his lips and opened his mind some.

_My Lord, we must be careful. If she is with him, we cannot risk alerting her. Who knows what she will do if she feels threatened? We must remain hidden for Harry's sake._ Nodding, they cast disillusionment charms over themselves and crept to the cell door. Their hearts broke at what they saw.

Ginny was not there, and had apparently charmed the room to have a soft glow about it. Tear tracks were streaked down Harry's face even as his head lolled to the side as if he couldn't readjust it himself. His arms were hanging by his sides and his legs stretched out in front of him. It didn't take any time at all for Tom to notice that he was naked and that fresh tears flowed over his cheeks at a steady pace even as he slept.

"Harry!" He pushed past Severus and entered the cell to rush to the bedside. "Harry, it's me. It's alright, you're safe now." Realizing that Harry wouldn't be able to respond even if he wanted to, he entered Harry's mind.

_Harry? Harry!_ Everything was clouded and fuzzy. It was almost hard for him to hear himself.

_Tom?_

_Harry, are you okay? I'm here now. I've got you._

_Tom, Ginny she...she's here in...the other…_ Harry's consciousness faded to black and Tom came back to himself. He glared at the door across the hallway and Severus turned to throw the door open.

The red-haired Weasley was stirring a potion in the corner and hadn't heard the door open. Tom stood before draping his robe over Harry and marched to her before grabbing a fistfull of her hair.

Ginny screamed at the sudden intrusion. Finding that he wasn't much in the mood for her screams, he silenced her with a wave of his wand and tossed her to the flagstone floor.

"Do you have any idea exactly what you're in for?" The whelp tried to push herself up and froze upon seeing Tom standing above her. "That's right, you'll figure out who I am soon enough. Do you have any idea why you are currently the object of my displeasure at this moment? No? Well, let me enlighten you." He grabbed her by her hair once more and pulled her up to his face.

"You have stolen someone that belongs to me. You have drugged him and likely raped him. Now if it is the last thing I do, I am going to ensure that you are well aware as to why what you did is wrong. And then I might let you live. But if you do live, know this. You'll live such a decrepit lifestyle that you'll wish you _had_ died."

"My Lord, this is a muggle drug. Commonly used for rapes, it rendered your limbs out of your control although your mind remains untouched. Essentially, it temporarily immobilizes you though your body can be affected by outward sources. She didn't want him to fight back. I'd say there's enough here for several weeks of doses. Shall we give her some? A taste of her own medicine, perhaps?" Seeing the panic in her eyes, Tom nodded.

"Only half a dose if you please." Severus gave him a curious look before forcing the dosage down her throat. "Now you will remain right here until I say so." Tom threw her onto the bed on the other wall and had ropes tangling themselves around her limbs as she attempted to get up and fight them off.

"Your arm, if you please." Severus held out his left arm and presented his mark to Tom. Placing a finger to it, Tom reached out to Fenrir and called him. It wasn't a moment later before the werewolf appeared behind him.

"You called for me, My Lord?"

Tom silenced him and pulled out a vial of polyjuice potion before gently taking one of Harry's hairs from his scalp and mixing it into the vial.

"Fenrir, take this." It was done without question and quickly the werewolf in front of him became Harry Potter. "I want you to go in that room and kindly introduce the idiot on the bed to the more intense side of your...bedroom activities, if you would. Make it hurt. I want her to never think about Harry Potter again. If you please me with your work I just may let you keep the memories."

Fenrir nodded and turned to the girl on the bed.

* * *

The young girl was likely a Weasley, judging by the hair. She wasn't altogether bad looking, but not his ideal type. He really liked blondes, but that was besides the matter. It was his job to torture the whelp with sex.

He hadn't been allowed to do this in a very long time.

A part of him wondered if he would remember how to, but quickly shook that thought out of his head. Inspiration would come to him, it always did.

The girl had clearly been drugged. She could hardly control her limbs and seemed to have difficulty even so much as moving at all. He smiled and stalked around so she could see him better. Her eyes lit up, seeing only Harry before her. _Oh yes_, he decided. _This is going to be fun. What's the slut's name again? Ginerva, I think._

"Gin? You're a slut right? For me? I'm sure you must know how much I like it when I have a nice, willing slut waiting to please my every whim. Would you even be able to keep up with me Gin? I'm sure you've noticed, I've got quite a large cock that would just love for you to beg me for it. To beg me for any way I want to give it to you." He drew the nails on his left hand down her chest and caught them on her nipple through her shirt. "Would you like that? To be my slut? To wear only what I tell you and to let me fuck you when and where I say? To let me have complete control over you? You have to tell me that's what you want Gin."

"Y-yes, I want it." She had a hard time articulating her words, but they were clear enough that she would never be able to take him to court over what would happen next.

"Good girl." He stroked her cheek and kissed her. She attempted to take over the kiss, but the drug and his determination to dominate her trumped the feeble attempt in no time.

He swept his hand up her short skirt and found that she wasn't wearing any underwear.

"You didn't wear any panties? Naughty, naughty. If you aren't careful then just about anyone could do just about anything to you." To emphasize his point, he thrust two fingers into her wetness and felt around a bit while she tried to squirm around the ropes that held her open. "My my, and so wet for me. But that's only the first part of being a slut. You have to be willing and open everywhere for me. Do you think you are? Let's find out." Removing his fingers from her was easy, but inserting one into her arsehole was fairly difficult.

"Now now, you've been so good for me so far. You can't tell me you've never thought about having me fuck your arse while you straddle a fat dildo. Open up for me, slut. That's better. Can you picture it? My cock stuffed up here while you scream in pleasure?" A small whimper escaped her throat. "I think you can." With that, he conjured a butt plug and a bottle of lube.

"Do you know what these are? No? This," he held up the silicone plug, "will go in your arse and do exactly what I wish it to do. It won't come out without my permission. And this lube? Special creation, this. Looks and feels just like semen while creating quite the tingly sensation. Some people say they hate it. But I think they're just not slutty enough for it." He waved his wand once more and the ropes redid themselves around her body to create a more intricate and knotty situation. A knot pressed up against each of her nipples, her clit and her sphincter. They had pulled her hands out to the headboard and held them there while more still flipped her over and yanked her legs and knees apart while a few more held her up off the mattress. Perfect for mounting. Even better that her nipples barely grazed the bed anytime she moved, which would only heighten her sensitivity.

He pointed his wand at her and cast a complicated spell.

"As long as you're within these ropes, my slut, your orgasm is _mine_. You will not be able to come without my permission. You'll want to, that's for sure. But you will not be able to until I say so." He moved the rope from her hole before taking the lube and inserting the tip into her just the slightest amount. She squirmed ever so slightly before he squirted copious amounts straight into her system. With a precision that only comes with practice, he switched the bottle for the plug and willed it to take the shape of his cock before replacing the rope over it.

The groans from below him were intoxicating to hear, although he could see Severus disappear with Harry before Tom left as well. He could practically feel the permission to kill her or imprison her when he was done if he so wished.

It just might be fun for him to keep her. After all, he hadn't had a slut to keep around in a long time. Maybe he could break her in so much that she craved his cock regardless of who he was or in what form. That was worth revisiting later. For now, he had to break the bitch in.

Wasting no time, he thrust into her and groaned at the extra tight sensation. It had been even longer that he had felt the slide of another cock against his through the wall separating a cunt and its darker companion.

"From now on Gin, your life is to serve me and my cock. Nothing and no one else. Got it?" She nodded ever so slightly and he pounded into her. The rhythm was steady but fierce. Conjuring a much longer, but slightly thinner dildo, he yanked her head back.

"You wish to serve me, yes? To be my slut? Then open up. It's time you learned how to do something useful." She let her jaw hang down and he shoved the cock into her mouth and throat. The ropes tied it in place and held it there. "Breathe through your nose, slut. You'll figure it out. Or die trying."

He ran his nails over her skin, almost drawing blood. She didn't really react to that compared to when he smacked her ass on an inward thrust. "Yeah? Being spanked gets you off, huh? Got some sort of fantasy of being punished by daddy? Or maybe a professor? Fuck, you're so tight. Maybe you should be a better princess for me. You know daddy only likes the sluttiest princesses. The ones that let him have his way with them no matter what."

He pulled out and conjured another phallic looking device. This one was significantly bigger than he was and had many more twists and curves and bumps.

"Any idea what this is, dearest slut?" He held it out for her to look at. "Let me just show you, then. Shall I?" Sitting at the head of the bed, he spelled the ropes to move her so she was straddling his thighs. Ever so slowly, he eased himself into the dildo and pulled her close to him.

"You're going to ride this dildo on my cock until you see stars. Got that?" She didn't have much of a choice as he manipulated the ropes to pull her up over the dildo and then dropped her onto it.

* * *

Just as the drug she had been given was starting to wear off, so was his polyjuice potion. He had gotten her to finally take all of his cock with the dildo around it and was in the process of enlarging the plug in her ass anytime she cried out.

He pulled her off him and the ropes tied her back down onto the bed. Her limbs were spread out for his pleasure and he licked his lips.

"Now my dearest slut, would you like to know why you shouldn't have kidnapped me?" She opened her eyes just as he transformed his face and nether regions to his more wolfish features.

Growing tired of the screams, he leant down and clamped his jaw around her neck. The struggling immediately stopped and he thrust his cock into her once more.

She smelt of terror and mild excitement. Fresh arousal was quickly overcoming those though, renewing the fire in her belly with every thrust. It was true, he was much larger than the average male when in this form, but the added kinkiness of it-the extra form of naughtiness-fueled her arousal as well. Just before he came, he allowed her body to orgasm and she fluttered tightly around him as his knot swelled to full potential. He came fiercely and dumped his biggest load yet into her fertile belly. Smiling wickedly, he conjured a second plug like the first and changed it to feel like his current cock before switching the real thing with the fake one.

"Now you'll be stuffed full of me for as long as I desire slut." She opened her eyes and screamed upon seeing the face of Fenrir Greyback staring down at her.


	24. Chapter 24

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

* * *

"Molly, I've returned Harry back home. I assure you, he is resting and will be able to write to you and your family once he feels up to it. Your daughter...well, I'm not sure what happened. Mauled by the looks of it. So far out in the woods, you'd think she'd have kept a better eye on the wildlife. I didn't think you'd want to see what was left of her." Severus apparated to the edge of Tom's property before making the walk up to the mansion.

It had been difficult for him to see 'Harry' raping the Weasley chit-he could only imagine the pain it would be causing Tom right now.

It turned out, Severus didn't have to go far before he found Tom. He had been waiting by the front door.

"Harry is fine. She hadn't taken him yet. He's upstairs sleeping off the rest of the drugs she gave him with a dreamless sleep potion in his system. How did the rest of them take it?"

"Well Granger and the youngest male Weasley are currently screaming up a storm at the rest of them. Molly was suggesting that Harry had gone willingly since she doesn't want to believe the worst of her daughter. I think Ron and Hermione may be open to hearing about our side of things but that's contemplation for next school year. I've enough to do over the summer without trying to get them on their own." Tom nodded thoughtfully.

"I did see them mention something similar to Harry before they were interrupted. Perhaps you should schedule detentions with them to forage out in the forest. The trees may talk, but they only talk to us." Severus nodded and took his leave with a promise to return once Tom lets him know Harry had awakened.

* * *

"Tom?" Harry groaned at how scratchy his voice sounded and yawned before sitting up. He was still in a bed, although this one was Tom's bed and Tom was fast asleep on the far side of it. Harry crawled over to him and nudged his shoulder.

Jerking awake, Tom's eyes flew open.

"Harry? You're awake! How do you feel? Are you alright?" Harry held up a hand.

"What is the name Frederick calls me by and what is he particularly fond of doing?"

"He calls you sonnie and enjoys poking and prodding you while sizing you for your robes." At the confirmation, Harry practically tackled Tom and seized his lips with his own.

When he finally drew up for air, he took in the position they had ended up in. He was straddling Tom and Tom's hands were softly kneading his arse as if he were weighing the globes of flesh. Although he was in pajama bottoms, he didn't feel any boxers or shorts beneath the silk.

"Harry, you've just been in a delicate situation…"

"Fuck delicate situation. I was just kidnapped and almost raped by a girl who is so obsessed with me that she was willing to drug me. Right now, Tom, I need you. I need to be with you and I need to be reminded that there's no way on this planet that I'd ever end up with a boobed being. Make me forget about all of what happened with Vernon and Ginny. Remind me why I get hard for you, and _only_ you, Tom."

He wiggled his hips ever so slightly and felt Tom's erection growing beneath him before he felt Tom's hands slowly slide into his pajamas and caress his bare bottom. Deciding they were both in far too many clothes, he grabbed Tom's wand from the nightstand and banished their clothes to the other side of the room before tossing the wand to join them.

Leaning over once more to reach for the nightstand, he pulled out a bottle of lube and handed it to Tom.

"Please Tom, I need you in me." Nodding, Tom liberally coated his own fingers and suddenly Harry was a babbling mess. It had only taken him a second to find his prostate and Harry threw his entire being into the sensation.

He could feel every time Tom added another finger, and once he felt the fourth one slide home, he pulled off of the fingers in him in favor of hovering over Tom's erection. It was too easy, sliding onto the cock that Tom was holding steady for him. It was only too simple to see that this was where he belonged and how he wanted to spend the rest of his life.

Instead of lifting himself up, he ground down on the man below him and gasped as Tom twitched inside him. It was all he could do to stay focused and to lift himself up before letting himself fall back down.

"You're too bloody patient Tom. Fuck, just fuck me already!" The words had the desired effect and Harry suddenly found himself flipped back onto his back and being gloriously shagged with his legs around Tom's back.

Deciding enough was enough, Harry managed to get one leg around Tom's shoulder instead and practically screamed as the new angle allowed Tom to pound straight into his prostate with every thrust. It didn't take long before Harry came all over their stomachs and Tom followed almost immediately after, filling Harry with come.

Cradling Tom's cheek with one hand, Harry smiled as warm emotions spread out through every inch of his body as he looked into Tom's eyes.

**"I love you, Tom."**

* * *

Tom had never been so happy to hear anything in his entire life. He practically beamed down at Harry.

**"And I love you, my Harry."** Before Harry's come cooled, Tom swiped his finger through it and brought it to his mouth for a taste. It was bitter but so purely Harry that he moaned. Desire and heat managed to resurface in Harry's eyes.

"Is this going to happen again or are you just teasing me to tease me?" He laughed.

"Oh my Harry, I think that you're going to see exactly how many times you are capable of having sex in one day if you keep asking for it. Would you enjoy it in the bath or on the bed once more?"

A mischievous glint twinkled in Harry's eyes.

"How about in the library? I'm sure there's bound to be a book with plenty of moving pictures that we can watch." The words had barely left Harry's mouth before Tom picked him up and carried him to the library.

* * *

Grabbing a rather inconspicuous book, Tom turned it to an earmarked page before passing it to Harry. The couple on the page were silently crying out in pleasure as one was pressed up against the wall while the other fucked them.

Harry shuddered with want and looked up at Tom. He practically willed the man to shove him against the wall and claim him.

Tom stalked to him slowly, giving him every chance to back out, and pressed him against the wall he didn't realize he'd backed up into. His breath was stolen as Tom's lips glossed over his own and tongues battled. Ultimately, Harry relented and let Tom drink his fill of him while he wrapped his arms around Tom's neck.

Suddenly, Harry was in the air and his legs instinctively wrapped around Tom's waist. He could feel the come dripping out of his hole and whimpered with the need to be filled once more.

Tom was only too happy to oblige.

It was fast and rough, filled with love and lust alike. For every scrape of Tom's nails against his skin, he was soothed with promises of love from the man's mouth.

He couldn't do much from this position, but he did make a point to arch his back and allowed himself to be as vocal as he wanted. He groaned and gasped Tom's name, a few times slipping into Parseltongue completely. Half of what he said was a jumbled mess of both languages.

"Harry, oh my dearest Harry...you're so tight. _Fuck_ Harry, I'm going to come. Come with me my love." And come with Tom was exactly what Harry did.


	25. Chapter 25

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

* * *

The days following Harry's kidnapping were tense all around. Tom refused to leave their bedroom and Harry was only too happy to remain by his side.

"Tom? What do you want to do...with the ministry I mean. I'm sure at some point they'll be okay without your constant supervision. What then?" Tom cocked his head while he thought. It was something that often bothered him in the late hours of the night as Harry slept. He wasn't sure exactly _what_ he wanted to do once the ministry could run on its own again. He had thought about having a family of his own once, many years before he lost his mind with power, but things had changed.

_He_ had changed.

Now he had Harry. And although he may have wanted that before, he wanted to remain with Harry more. And although he was mature for his age, he was still ever so young. The last thing he wanted to do was to scare him away with commitment and yet more responsibility.

"Tom?" He jerked himself out of his own thoughts and held Harry closer to him.

"I've given it a lot of thought, but I just end up running around in circles. All I really know for sure is that I wish to remain with you." Harry's cheeks flushed.

"Well I'm not going anywhere. What do you keep running around in circles with?" Deciding to tell the truth and to be blunt, he took a deep breath to settle his nerves.

"Well for starters, you and I will age differently Harry. I've got a horcrux which means I'll essentially remain this age forever. You, on the other hand, will age slower than the average person but you will still age. While muggles live to be seventy to a hundred, wizards and witches usually live to be a hundred and fifty to two hundred. It's plausible to assume that you'll live longer than that, simply because you have a piece of someone else's soul in you."

"Why would that be a bad thing? I've had to accept that my friends and family will die in front of me during battle which, thankfully, hasn't really happened to the degree I thought it would. So that's a nonissue for me."

"It would affect your wants and needs. Having longer to live means you can have as many children as you wish for much longer; but you'll likely have to watch them pass as well. And you may not have even considered having a family that way. You might want to do something that doesn't involve a family, but most jobs would have you available to the press." Harry shuddered in distaste.

"I didn't really want to do anything that could involve the press. Dad mentioned he wanted to start a mail-in apothecary a long time ago but he didn't have the means to and now he's teaching. Maybe one day I can help him with that. He really does love to talk about potions and once he explains why things happen, it makes a lot more sense.

"I never really thought about a family...honestly I didn't think I'd ever get over my aversion to physical affection. Thanks for that, by the way. If it weren't for you, I'd still be cowering in the corner around other people. But I do know that if I have a family I'd want it to be with you. If...well, if you'll have me that is…"

Affronted, Tom lifted Harry's face up. "Why would I ever want you to leave? I'll always want you right here, by my side. If it's where you wish to be, then it is where you belong. I once laughed at the idea of love, but now I couldn't imagine my life without it. And a life without you is a life without love."

Harry curled up closer to him, resting his head on Tom's chest. Instinctively, Tom's arms wrapped around him closer to hold him. His companion had just fallen asleep when a gentle knock came from the door.

"Who is it?" Tom tried to keep his voice soft and gentle so as to not wake Harry. An equally soft voice informed him it was Severus. "Come in then."

Severus's face was lined with worry until he saw the teen curled up in Tom's lap, sound asleep.

"How has he been? I've been worried." Severus sat down in the offered chair and made himself a cup of tea from the platter.

"He's handled things well. Disappointed in the chit, but he's been pretty stable all things considered. He did have a nightmare last night, but he calmed down relatively quickly once I held him." The silence that followed was a calm one, filled with relief.

"Do you mind me asking you a question?"

"Of course Severus. No need to ask. You've earned every right to question me." Surprise flitted across his face before disappearing once more.

"Have you given any thought to your future with him? I can't bear the thought of trusting him to someone else just to have his heart and soul crushed once more. I saw the love he holds for you when he made you your Christmas gift. I just need to know that you are willing to return that love to him and to treat him with the amount of respect he deserves. I recognize the implications when you gave him your eyes, but I need to know that he will be taken care of for the rest of his life if he were to remain with you. I love him deeply, I have since I learned of Lily's pregnancy with him. I regret not being able to spend more time with him, and how I was forced to treat him for quite some time...I just need to know that he will be loved by you as purely as he loves you."

Tom gazed down at Harry as Severus's words washed over him. Of course he could imagine spending the rest of time with Harry, but he didn't understand how Harry could want to return the sentiment. Surely Harry couldn't love him the way Severus was implying. After all, who truly could? Tom had done horrible things in the past, things that should never be forgiven. And yet, here they were. Harry had forgiven him of the things he had done, the crimes he had committed. And he had not only forgiven him, he had offered him his heart, mind and body as well.

Ignoring the prickling in his eyes and the blurriness in his vision, he brushed an errant lock of hair from Harry's face.

"I can't imagine a world without him Severus. He is my world now." The tears finally dropped and slid down his face as the depth of emotion he felt for harry overcame him.

"Then I must make a request of you, my friend. I expect you to wait until he is twenty before you come to ask me for his hand. He'll need time to settle into adulthood properly and to learn how to do things he's never had a chance to learn." Tom's eyes widened. "Oh come now. I see the way you look at him when you think no one is watching. You've fallen in love with him, I can see it just as plainly as I can see that the sky is blue. All I ask is that you wait until then." He nodded.

"I never expected I'd even care for anyone let alone that. I haven't even considered that as an option…" Severus waved his hand and sipped his tea.

"You would have come to that option eventually. I simply wanted to make my wishes known before that happened. I'll take my leave. But Tom, please remember that he is still young and inexperienced. I have no doubt that he loves you as much as you love him, but if he should wish to branch out…"

Pain stabbed Tom in the chest as the implication hit him.

"If he should wish to leave or experiment or branch out, I will not stop him. He deserves a chance to learn who he is should he feel he needs to search for the answers without me."

"I don't think that will happen, but I needed to know if you cared for him enough to let him go should he desire it. Good night Tom. I think it's time I take my leave."


	26. Chapter 26

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

* * *

"I understand why I have to go to the ministry for my apparation license but is there any particular reason that it had to be bloody six thirty in the morning?" Harry struggled to keep up with his father as Severus strode on.

"We've been over this, I have to be back at Hogwarts before classes start. Besides," he turned back to Harry to clasp his shoulder. "You didn't want to take the test just after your birthday so now you have to work around my school schedule. I recognize that it isn't fair but I did explain it to you when you made the choice to wait."

"I know. Doesn't mean I have to be happy about it, though." They continued on their way to the ministry while a few witches and wizards waited for their morning caffeine to kick in.

They were led into a private testing area where Harry would be taking his test and just barely managed to make it before they heard someone shout his name behind them.

"Don't worry, I'm sure they'll have an auror here to escort you from the building once we're all done. Now, stand over by this hoop. That's it. I want you to apparate to the large X on the floor on the opposite side of the room. Whenever you're ready, I'd rather not have to fix a splinch this early in the morning." Harry concentrated on the X before remembering the tutoring Severus had given him a few weeks ago.

_Remember, just close your eyes and visualize standing exactly where you wish to be. Once you really feel like you're standing there, simply take a step forward and remember to breathe…_

Instead of focusing on the spot he was supposed to be apparating to, Harry closed his eyes and imagined himself standing there already. With a deep breath to calm his nerves, he stepped forward into the tightness associated with this particular form of travel.

"Very good, nice form as well. Just a few more then and you'll be out of here in no time."

* * *

**Master Hatchling, you are bouncing. It does not make for a nice napping spot.**

**Sorry Nagini.** Tom put conscious effort into forcing his leg to sit still while he waited for Harry and Severus to come back from Harry's apparation test. Ever since The Incident he was reluctant to let Harry from the house. **I simply worry.**

**Relax Master Hatchling. New Hatchling will return with the Sassy One soon enough.**

**You're right, of course. I know I overreact when he leaves. Even for short periods of time. What will I do if he ever decides he wishes to leave me?** Nagini raised her head, affronted.

**You do not think! Surely, if he wanted to leave you he would have expressed interest in others. But no. He has only ever wished to remain with you. It is no wonder that you have not graced me with Little Ones, you're too blind to see what is clearly devoted to you and only you.** Tom was left to mull over what she had said in silence as she laid her head down to rest on his lap once more.

* * *

Harry walked into the sitting room once he was returned safely inside the manor door and found Tom sitting on the loveseat by the fire with Nagini curled up around him and seemingly napping. Tom hadn't even had an opportunity to greet him before Nagini's head shot up.

**New Hatchling, you have returned! Tell me, have you thought about branching out to be with others or are you in love with Master Hatchling? He has been brooding all morning because he is worried you will want someone other than him. He has failed to listen to my reasoning.** Harry turned a bright red and laughed nervously for being put on the spot.

**Well of course I don't want to see anyone else like that. And Tom should know this already.** Gently nudging Nagini off Tom's lap, he straddled him and gazed into his eyes. **Of all the things Tom should know, it's that I love him.** Tom smiled brilliantly and pulled him down for a kiss.

**Of course I know that. Nagini has simply gotten it into her head that you and I are both against her having Little Ones to help her look after even though I've told her a million times already that she will live for many many more years to see Little Ones.**

**Ah...well, that might be my fault. Sort of.** Tom's eyes went from glaring the snake down to stare at Harry with shock written on his face. Y**ou see, I was talking to her a few days ago and we were just talking about the future and I maybe said a few things that she probably construed as us not wanting that at all, ever. What I meant, and what I thought I made clear, was that I didn't want that this moment as I'm still so young myself. She must have taken it as me not wanting it ever.**

**That's not what I said, you Great Fool! What I said was that Master Hatchling, the Great Fool, has been neglecting the opportunity to provide me with Little Ones as he is too blind to see that the one he has chosen is purely devoted to him and him alone. When are you two going to sit down and actually talk about your future together?**

**Nagini, there is more to that conversation than you realize-**

**And just how much more can there be? He is no longer so new, yes? You chose him. He chose you. Is that not enough for you two to talk about your future together?** Nagini slithered off the couch and left the room, quietly hissing to herself about needing to find something large and juicy after such a dull conversation.

"Tom? Maybe she's right. After all, when you first came to rescue me I was still underage and had the hardest time even sipping a cup of tea and accepting a handshake. I'm of age now, the ministry has spent over a year in good standing and you don't really have much to do with them anymore. All the people that knew you as Tom Riddle have either passed on or didn't know it was Tom Riddle that became Voldemort. The only thing you'd have to do is glamour your eyes or wear colored contacts in public. Maybe we can start our lives together without having to hide all the time once I take my NEWTs at the ministry. The public is starved for any word of me and are starting to make up some crazy stories. As much as I hate to say it, maybe we should stage Voldemort's death and continue on from there?" Without giving Tom a moment to think, he continued.

"Besides, Ron and Hermione think it's best that I come out of the woodwork. I guess there's a lot of rebellion groups that think the ministry is hiding me and _someone_ has neglected to bring this to my attention. But besides, I'd like to be able to go out with my friends every once in awhile. And I'd like to do it with the person I've fallen for."

Tom brushed his fingers along Harry's cheek before smiling.

"You know, you have some pretty good ideas when you want something bad enough. I think you're right. I think that it is time that I've come out of hiding to spend time with you without worrying about the public's opinions. You do know there will be talk about the age difference?"

"Well, yeah but you look more like your twenties now than anything. That's not that uncommon, an age difference of only a few supposed years."

"And I'm a man, Harry. They will talk and you'll receive backlash for not wanting a woman." Harry just waved his hand.

"Listen, if they still have an issue with me being with you then we'll just have to let them catch us making out or something. The juicy details will override any hateful prejudice. Besides, wouldn't it be nice to do normal things for once? Like going out on a date or going to the cinema or something? I'm tired of missing out on normal things, frankly."

Tom nodded and smiled at him.

"And what of our future? Nagini seems quite keen on us having children, but what are your thoughts?"

"I...well I wouldn't want kids right now but in the future that would be nice."

"And what of other things? Marriage, property, what you'd like to do for a living if anything at all?"

"Well…" he could feel the blush creeping over his skin at a rapid pace. "I'm not opposed to marriage or moving. My vaults are big enough that living for the next several hundred years would be easy, and only easier since my spending habits are so low. I'm sort of a living-in-the-moment sort of person."

"Well that settles it! Now, how are we going to kill Lord Voldemort?"


	27. Chapter 27

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

* * *

Severus double checked his pocket once more before leaving. It wouldn't do to lose the portkeys that had been given to him. Satisfied that the two portkeys were safely in his hands, he apparated directly to the bedroom of one Ronald Weasley.

He landed right in the middle of a circle of redheads, plus one Hermione Granger. Ignoring the older Weasley brothers, he pressed one charm into Hermione's hand and another into Ron's before activating them. He only heard a brief moment of outcry before apparating back to Hogwarts.

* * *

Harry jumped up when he saw Hermione and Ron land in ungraceful heaps on his bedroom floor.

"What the _bloody hell_ was that bat thinking?! I ought to-"

"Ron! Hermione!" Ron cut his own tirade off upon seeing Harry standing before him.

"Harry? Oh Harry! It's so good to see you!" Hermione made to leap at him with the start of a hug, but she pulled herself back at the last moment. "Oh, I'm sorry Harry, it's just been so long since I've seen you," he held out his hand to stop her from fretting.

"I think I'd like a hug from my best friends, thanks." Beaming, his friends embraced him before Hermione cut to the chase.

"Why is it that you had Professor Snape kidnap us? You could have just owled, you know."

"Yeah mate, I was this close to winning a game of chess against the blasted twins!"

"Sorry guys, but owling wasn't going to cut it this time. You see...I need some help."

* * *

"I guess I sort of need to explain a few other things first though, otherwise this won't make sense at all. You know how I asked you two about your thoughts on the Order's side versus...well, the other side? I was shocked when you two told me that maybe Voldemort's side isn't that bad. Absolutely blown away. Because you two were right.

"Voldemort went a little off the deep end the first time around. Excessive use of dark magic will taint your mind, especially so in his case. So after he lost his body he essentially created a new one. One without the mass amounts of dark magic to corrupt it. He reversed a few of the things he had done and now is just as sane as you or I."

"Well that settles it mate, because you're downright bonkers." A moment of silence passed before the three of them started laughing at Ron's joke.

"That's besides the point, you wanker. Voldemort called off all the attacks and started focusing on ministry doings. He started moving his death eaters up the political chain and focused on pushing for change. Didn't you ever wonder why the ministry was suddenly so efficient at making laws and enforcing the immediate effect of new regulations? What few attacks happened after that weren't that of death eaters. The Order has a lot of connections in the crime world and started all of them except one. And those responsible for the single death eater attack have been dealt with, by the way. It wasn't planned, they went rogue."

"Harry," Hermione spoke softly, concern furrowing her eyebrows. "How is it that you know all this?"

"That's where I'm hoping our friendship goes deeper than prejudice. You see, I'm sort of dating-"

"Oh come off it mate! You can't tell me you're dating a death eater?"

"Ronald!" Hermione punched Ron in the shoulder. "Inappropriate! You simply must tell me who you're dating Harry! I've been wondering forever when you were going to tell us who it is you've been seeing."

"Well...I'm sort of dating Tom. Tom Riddle." Hermione's mouth dropped while Ron looked confused.

"Who the bloody hell is Tom Riddle?"

"Ron, that's...well…"

"It's Voldemort, Ron. I'm dating Voldemort. I've...actually sort of fallen in love with him." At this, Ron's eyes practically bugged out of his head.

"You're in love with the man who murdered your parents? Have you gone mad?"

"No, I haven't gone mad. Look, shortly after he came back he sent me this journal-anonymously of course-and a box that he could send things through. He sent nutrient potions, healing salves even food. The journal had the same charm on it that we put on our scratch parchments when we're in class. He talked to me, he even opened up to me a little as well." Harry then went on to talk about the shared dreams and the mental link they shared.

"Wow...so you two can just talk to each other mentally? Like, you'd never have to say another word to one another ever if you didn't want to?"

"Yeah, pretty much."

"Wicked. I'm assuming this has got something to do with why you had the overgrown bat kidnap us?"

"So here's the thing. The ministry has essentially been running itself since Malfoy was elected. I've sort of convinced him to allow me to kill Voldemort so that Tom and I can lead a relatively normal life...well, as normal as I can live anyway. I wanted your opinions and ideas." Harry could practically see the wheels turning in Hermione's mind.

"I've got an idea."

* * *

"Do you really think that will work?"

"There's no reason it won't work. And with Harry suddenly feeling safe enough to bring his significant other into the public, it'll be the perfect story. With one article-written by myself, of course-you could so easily convince the world that Voldemort's dead and that we're all safe. Now, I have just one more question."

"What's that?"

"When am I going to meet Tom?"

"Well, I wasn't planning on that today but if you'd like to meet him, I'm sure that can be arranged." Hermione nodded and Ron didn't argue so Harry got up and knocked on the door to Tom's room.

"You can come in, Harry!" Harry opened the door and made his way to the man sitting by the fireplace. Suddenly feeling particularly shy, Harry rubbed his left arm with his right hand.

"Tom? They wanted to meet you." Surprise flitted across Tom's face and he stood before gathering Harry up in his arms.

"And are they meeting Tom or are they meeting Voldemort?" His voice was hesitant.

"They want to meet you, Tom." He shivered when Tom crooked his lips up, ever so slightly more on one side.

"Well, then let's go meet your friends."

* * *

Hermione turned when she heard footsteps approaching. The man behind Harry certainly didn't look that much older than Harry, and he was rather quite handsome. The red eyes were a bit off putting to her, but she supposed it was something she could get used to over time.

"Guys, this is Tom. Tom, this is Ron and Hermione." Tom bowed to Hermione, making a blush creep into her cheeks.

"Hermione, I presume. A beautiful name to accompany a beautiful woman. It's a pleasure to meet someone that always seemed to help Harry stay one step ahead of myself. Thank you for always stopping me, by the way. I would be, and would have been, quite lonely without him. Even if I didn't know it at the time." He then turned to Ron.

"Pleased to meet you, Ron. I'm rather happy that you agreed to meet me. I wasn't sure you'd even be willing to be in the same room given everything that your family stands for."

"Yeah, well, you'll find that Harry's reasoning is sound and he's always got an extremely good reason for doing what he does. Just do me a favor, would you?"

"If it's within my power, I shall." Ron nodded and grabbed Tom by his collar to pull their faces together.

"You've managed to get him to be comfortable with himself and others again. If you're playing some sort of sick, twisted game with him, I swear I'll make _dearest_ Bellatrix look like a walk in the goddamn rainbow park for toddlers. Understood?" Hermione and Harry looked on at the scene unfolding in front of them in shock.

"I understand. But Ron, let me just say this. When I first started talking to him, I had the intent to lull him in so I could kill him. But then I got to know him. Really know him. I've lived out some of his worst moments with him to help ease the pain of the situation. Against all odds, I have fallen in love with him. If I were to hurt him, it would surely kill me." Seeming pleased with the answer he received, he let Tom's collar go.

"Good. Now that that's settled, we've got to plan your murder."


	28. Chapter 28

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

* * *

Harry fastened his cloak slowly, watching himself in the mirror. If everything went as planned, this would be one of the last death eater meetings. The last clasp was done and he really looked at himself for the first time in several weeks.

Even compared to a few weeks ago he looked healthier. When he had first arrived, he was practically skin draped over some bones. Now he looked normal. Maybe not average as he was still much shorter than other people his age, but he had filled out quite nicely. It was still shocking to him to note that he had muscles on his body rather than bruises.

Smiling to himself, he smoothed the fabric of his sleeves and put on his mask before heading to the dining room. Just as he had planned, the room was empty except for Tom.

"You're here earlier than we planned. Is everything alright?"

"Yeah, everything's fine. I'm sort of going to miss wearing these robes once this is all said and done." Tom's eyes flashed as Harry spun for added emphasis.

"And why would you miss wearing them?"

"Well there's this thing where if I do so much as the smallest thing in them you get all possessive of me. It's quite nice knowing all I have to do is exist in your robes to get you all hot and bothered." Harry smiled to himself when Tom closed the distance between them in a flurry of fabric before kissing him like the world was ending. As the kiss deepened, Tom's hands skimmed over Harry's back and came to rest on his bottom. Harry could practically taste Tom's moment of confusion.

"You're not wearing anything under these, are you?" Harry simply winked in response. "You naughty thing, you did that on purpose to tease me."

"Maybe. But then again, maybe I did it on purpose."

"And what purpose would that be?" Suddenly overcome with a wave of insecurity, Harry buried his face in Tom's chest. "Harry, you have to talk to me." Harry shook his head the tiniest amount. "Well that's fine, but you have to show me then. Will you let me see what it is that's got you so worked up?" Harry didn't even pause. He simply imagined sitting on Tom's lap for the meeting. Then his imagined self squirmed to try and get a better angle and the imaginary Tom groaned low in his ear as one of the followers prattled on about some ministry tripe.

It took him a moment to realize that he didn't imagine the groan twice. One of those groans belonged to the real Tom who was currently sporting a rather impressive erection.

"Is that what you'd like? I know we haven't done anything like that in some time, I wouldn't want to hurt you."

"I know. I've sort of a surprise for you, actually." Tom raised an eyebrow. "So I've been making things a lot recently with soul magic and I sort of got curious in the library and came across something rather interesting and sort of got carried away."

"And what sort of things were you making, my beautiful consort?" Tom brushed his lips over the crook in Harry's neck. He gasped and felt a surge of lust wash over him.

"Things to...mmm, that's nice." Tom had busied himself with stroking Harry's bum and lower back while he talked. It wasn't long before Tom had brushed against Harry's surprise for him.

"My little vixen, what have you been doing in your spare time, hmm?" Blushing, Harry gave him a cheeky smile.

"I didn't want you to turn me down today because of lack of preparation. So I've been doing it for you. That's what I've been making lately. I started out smaller though-" Tom's lips crashed into his, effectively cutting his words off.

"Please tell me I can see it before we sit down for this blasted meeting." He nodded and bent himself completely over the table with his arms outstretched as far as they would reach. He felt his robes being pulled up and over his bum, revealing the clear crystal buttplug with a deep emerald jewel peeking out between his cheeks.

Apparently looking wasn't the only thing Tom had in mind. It didn't take him long before he was gently easing the plug out of him and then moving it in and out of him ever so gently. Once Tom removed the plug completely, Harry felt a larger something press against him.

"Please Tom," Harry gasped, shuddering with the need to have Tom's member fill him.

"Only since you beg so prettily for me, my darling." With that, Tom managed to slide into Harry easily. He didn't pause until he was fully seated and somehow got the two of them situated in his chair before their followers started showing up for the meeting.

* * *

This was one of the largest meetings Harry had been to. More followers came than he was prepared for, but most of the important members-such as his father-were absent for this meeting. Armed with this knowledge, Harry gave Tom's member an experimental squeeze. Tom's hand tightened on Harry's thigh, but his facial expression didn't change.

If it was the last thing he did, Harry was going to get Tom to forget whatever nonsense these idiots were here to blather on about.

He started off slowly; shifting a leg just an inch from where it was, leaning over to sip on a glass of pumpkin juice, clenching every now and again to keep Tom's member interested. But it wasn't until the house elves sent food to the table that things got interesting for the two of them.

Just before Harry had gone to get dressed, he had managed to convince the house elves to allow him to make their plate of food separately from the others. While everyone else got fruits soaked in sugary water, Harry's and Tom's were soaked in sugary water laced with a mild aphrodisiac. He plopped two strawberry slices in his mouth and turned to feed Tom a slice.

A flicker of surprise glossed over Tom's eyes before he accepted the slice and nodding his approval. Harry knew that even though Tom rarely voiced it, he loved it when Harry did things like feeding him that to show how utterly Tom's he was.

Harry concluded that Tom must have been hungry because before he knew it the plate of fruits was gone and he was having a hard time keeping his groans to himself. At some point, Tom's hardness had found his prostate and was now resting on it. The even pressure drove him wild.

A particularly annoying woman dragged Harry from his blissful haze as she continued on and on about the ministry's workforce budgets. He shot daggers at her before clearing his throat to interrupt her.

"Say it's your choice then. You're the head of budgeting, aren't you? What are your ideas for solutions?" Her eyes widened.

"I-I guess I would start conducting investigations into the budgeting and going over receipts for what's been bought and why. Firing those who made too many mistakes or foolish purchases and promoting from within based on productivity. From there we can hire younger adults, fresh with ideas to see if we can budget for things differently within departments to see what really is and isn't needed so we can shift budgets accordingly."

"So do it." Purposefully wiggling around to find a comfortable spot on Tom's lap, he yawned. "Anyone else have any concerns about their departments?" Hands flew up from everyone that held ministry positions. "Alright look. I'm not going to sit here forever waiting on you all to figure your situations out and I guarantee that I have more patience than the one who claims me. So everyone with concerns about your department go home and write an essay. Dictate what the problems are and what possible solutions can rectify the situation. You can owl them here if you still aren't sure about the right course of action but please keep in mind that we won't be helping you nearly as much as you might be used to. If you can't handle the pressure, perhaps you better find someone else who can and start giving them pointers and responsibilities. We have lives, you know."

A short man with messy gray hair snickered under his breath.

"What is so funny?" Tom's voice was quietly deadly as he sat up straighter with an arm around Harry's waist. Harry shuddered and groaned quietly at the tone; it was smoother than anything he'd ever heard before and had just the right amount of rumble below it to hint at danger.

"N-nothing, My Lord. I didn't mean anything by it." The man looked terrified, and Harry stretched, purposefully moving his hips ever so slightly so that Tom's member slipped further into him.

"Thanks to Smithens, you all can leave. I'll call you when I wish to resume this meeting." The last one out the dining room hadn't even made it through the doorway before Tom lifted Harry up and let him fall back down on his cock. Harry, ignoring that several pairs of feet had turned around to rush back, whimpered with need. His arousal was made more acute by the hands that were playing with a nipple and wrapping around his throbbing member under his robes.

"Fuck, just there…" Somewhere in his mind, Harry was aware that the keening noises he was hearing were coming from him. He supposed he'd be embarrassed by it later, but right now it didn't matter so long as Tom managed to hit him _right there_ as he bounced on the man's lap.

**Do you even realize how utterly fuckable you look right now? Bouncing on my cock like that? How long did you think it would take me for me to realize you had spiked that fruit? Promiscuous little vixen, putting an aphrodisiac in our food. Is this better than your toys you've been making? I'm not sure you realize just how incredibly sexy you sound right now. Would you like to come?**

"Please," Harry's voice was breathless with want and exertion. "Please Master, _please_ let me come."

"Since you begged oh so nicely, you can come." The dark voice was back, making arousal pool in Harry's stomach just before he came on Tom's hand. Carefully, Tom extracted his hand from below Harry's robes. Harry saw Tom move to vanish the mess and grabbed Tom's wrist to pull his hand within licking distance so he could clean the hand with his mouth. He had only managed to suck Tom's thumb clean before he felt hot liquid flood his channel.

"I think you'll be dirty for quite awhile, my Harry." In quick succession, Tom slide out of Harry and quickly placed the plug back in to successfully trap any come from leaking out. "I'm not sure you really dosed the fruit accurately. I'm still quite aroused."

"No, that was on purpose. You've got about four hours left to enjoy a completely uninhibited vixen. I suggest you use it wisely." With that, Harry sauntered down the hall towards their rooms.

* * *

"Are you sure about this?"

"Quite. We've already started putting the plan into motion, we may as well plow forward." They entered the dining room to greet their inner circle.

"Welcome. I think, after all this time, that progress has been amazing within the ministry. And indeed, the whole of the Wizarding World." The group cheered. "And with that, my friends, I'm afraid that I'm sorry to say that I'm planning on taking a step back from my current line of work. I believe retirement is in order for me. But do not forget how easily one can slip into the slide of greed and power. We do this for the people, not for ourselves."

"My Lord, if I may?" Tom nodded, indicating that Lucius could continue. "Are you still going to keep in touch? Many of us are capable of keeping our departments and allies in line, although there may be times when we require guidance. Will you be available for those rare occurrences?"

"No, I'll be leaving permanently. I have done many nasty things in this world and I believe it is time I set the balances of life to rights once more." The entire room gasped at the implied meaning.

"M-My Lord, no! Please, what will we do without you?" Bellatrix's voice rose to a shriek with panic.

Harry stood from his chair and made his way to the wild-haired woman. Her eyes never left his movements, although it was clear that she was suddenly unsure.

"Bella dear?"

She gulped at the nicknames. "Y-yes, My Lord?" Harry smiled when she bowed her head and lifted her chin up.

"Do not fear for him. He and I have had lengthy discussions about this decision. He is sure. If I can let him go, certainly you can as well. If it is someone who can dominate you that you crave, I'm sure there are many places you can go to find reprieve. I've heard that America in particular caters to your lifestyle quite widely." The terror left her eyes until they were just filled with hope and uncertainty.

"But...My Lord…"

"I know you have tried to find others. I also know they failed you. Think about where you are. Wizarding Britain is a bit stuffy, if you know what I mean. Trust me when I say that Wizarding America is_ insane_ should you wish it to be." She nodded and sat back against her chair once more.

"Maybe...it might be nice to visit other places." Her voice had softened considerably and she seemed much less insane in that moment. He hoped she found someone who could give her what she clearly needed.

"My Lord, forgive me for speaking out of turn. Surely you have thought about the consequences of simply disappearing. You've done that once before, albeit unwillingly, and the world saw you return. They will let fear guide them in their decisions and will ultimately undo all the progress we have worked so hard for."

"You are right. That is why my lovely consort and I have devised a plan."


	29. Chapter 29

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

* * *

Harry, Hermione and Ron walked down Diagon Alley together, laughing at the latest antics the Weasley twins had gotten up to. Apparently Molly wasn't all that keen on yarn that would turn into limp pasta noodles when you tried to knit with it.

Suddenly black mist formed into the figure of a tall, hooded man in all black. The head lifted, and the flash of a silvery white mask made it clear that he wasn't there for back to school shopping. This man was here for Harry. Before the three of them could react, a scream broke out from someone just down the street and two more figures appeared behind them to prevent their escape.

"Harry Potter. Either come with us or watch your friends and family suffer the consequences." Harry let the blood drain from his face and his hand twitched. "Now, now. No going for that infamous wand of yours." Harry heard Hermione and Ron being grabbed beside him. "Surrender yourself. Or your friends die before your very eyes and these shoppers around us die with them." Taking a brief pause to weigh his options, he glared and grabbed the man's outstretched arm to be apparated elsewhere.

The field he was taken to was in the middle of nowhere. He spotted Tom several yards away and felt Hermione and Ron grab his robes from behind him in fear. Hearing about Tom being good was one thing, but being slammed down in front of Voldemort was a completely different story.

"Ah, yes. My lovely guests have arrived-and right on time as well. Shall we?" He held up his wand and curses started flying. It took every ounce of Harry's concentration to remember that they weren't in any real danger. All of the death eaters in attendance had been informed of the plan and to only throw silent hexes directly at them and to aim more serious curses so they would miss ever so slightly. Tom and Harry went at it full force.

The curses coming from Tom were all nonverbal, but Harry knew that although there were some green spells being sent his way, none of them would kill him. He was sending every jinx and hex he could remember, until he finally landed a rather interesting spell his father had taught him just for the occasion.

Tom fell, eyes wide. He was clearly surprised that Harry had hit him so quickly, and his body landed with a quiet thud.

Everyone stilled, waiting for what would come next. When Tom's chest didn't move after ten seconds, Harry felt panic quickly bubble up in him.

"T-" Hermione slapped a hand over Harry's mouth and apparated the three of them back to Diagon Alley where they were accosted by camera flashes and questions being screamed at them from all angles. Harry, unable to handle the overwhelming panic and sharp emotional pain, felt a torrent of tears cascade down his face.

The noise around him stopped registering in his mind. He wrapped one arm around his stomach and another around his chest to cling onto his own shoulder. Feeling arms wrap around him from behind, he let himself be guided away from the crowd and towards the Leaky Cauldron. He choked on a sob and felt the larger hand on his back give him a few pats before it disappeared. Once he and the other person with him were in muggle London, he fell to his knees and sobbed.

Unable to contain his thoughts any longer, he replayed the scene in his mind over and over. Severus had assured him the spell would make it appear as though the victim was dead for only a few seconds. It was long enough that if you were viewing the memory in a pensieve, the viewer would assume the victim was dead. He had even casted it on Severus, and he had always taken a small breath after five seconds. A small part of him vaguely recognized that he was screaming, but he couldn't hear it. His lungs were uncomfortable with the effort, but he didn't care. Sharp stinging on his side and shoulder told him he was digging his nails into his own skin tightly enough to draw blood. He ignored it and let pain sweep him away.

* * *

Ron patted Harry's shoulder when he and Hermione had managed to get to the Leaky Cauldron.

"I'm going back to take care of the press. You get Harry to muggle London, I'll be out to join you soon. A silencing charm may be in order, we don't want attention in muggle London." Hermione nodded and Ron returned to the alley to face the press. He found that the cameras flashing didn't get any less annoying as he talked.

"I can't tell you much, but I can tell you that Harry Potter has defeated Voldemort once and for all!" The crowd went silent and then screams of triumph sounded. "Alright, ALRIGHT ALREADY! Listen, all I'm telling you is that Voldemort is dead. Any remaining death eaters will be rounded up by the ministry. Now if you don't mind, I'm going to St. Mungo's. All questions can be forwarded to your rubbish bins. We'll be releasing the story on our own time, once we've been seen to by medical professionals." He turned and stumbled back to where he knew he could find his two best friends.

Hermione had taken advantage of silencing charms and was softly rubbing Harry's back.

"How is he?"

"Bad. He thinks he killed Tom, it's absolutely destroying him. We need to take him back."

"That wasn't a part of the plan, we were to wait here for Tom to come to Harry," Ron protested. Hermione's eyes flashed and she pointed her finger sternly at the ground next to Harry's other side.

"Come join me on the other side of the silencing barrier I put around him, you dolt." He took a few steps forward and heard Harry wail. It was the sound of pure, unadulterated emotional pain. "Now tell me he doesn't need to go back this instant."

"Give me two minutes. I have to check first. We need to know what to prepare him for."

* * *

Hermione remained close to Harry, rubbing his back. Ron had said to give him two minutes, so where was he? It had been at least two and a half minutes.

Ron apparated back to Harry's side and nodded to Hermione before making sure he had a firm grip on them both.

* * *

Harry could hear that people were talking around him, but he didn't care. He couldn't make the words out and he didn't want to unfold their meaning anyway. He had killed the man he had been working so hard to save. The man who showed him how to take care of himself. The one he had fallen irrevocably in love with. Had he even told him he had fallen? He couldn't bring himself to try to remember.

He registered that the ground beneath him changed and heard a scream of hopeless pain. It was choked off by another sob and Harry briefly realized that the scream had come from him. Uncaring of what went on around him, he clung to himself tighter.

"-ry. Harry. Harry! HARRY!" He managed to tilt his head towards the voice that was calling his name although the tears didn't stop. "He's okay Harry. You put more strength behind the spell than you meant to. Harry, he's alright. Look up." He didn't have the strength to look up and see whatever cruel joke was being played on him.

He felt shuffling happen around him and suddenly the arms around his back were gone and the sharp acknowledgement of being truly alone hit him. Wanting nothing more than to curl up in on himself and join Tom in death, Harry shivered. A warm hand landed over his own on his shoulder and another one gently touched his cheek to wipe his tears away. Closing his eyes, he let his head be pulled up to be inspected by whomever decided they needed to see his face. The hands pulled away and suddenly he was encased in a warm cloak surrounded by the scent of vanilla, sandalwood and lilacs. The reminder that he would never be able to hug Tom and smell this scent again shoved forward a fresh burst of tears and another wordless cry.

The hands returned and lifted his face up once more. He felt thumbs gently graze the corners of his eyes, a silent plea for him to open them. He didn't want to, but there was very little that could worsen the pain he was in, so he appeased them.

Shock flooded his system in the instant he realized he was looking into blood red eyes.

"I'm okay Harry. You didn't kill me."

"T-Tom? No, it can't be you. You didn't wake up...it was ten seconds, you never took a breath-"

"Hush darling. Hush. Adrenaline spiked your magic, the spell was stronger than the ones you had been doing with Severus to practice with. I'm okay, I'm truly here." Nagini slithered between the two and shoved her snout against Harry's face.

**Master Hatchling lives. Now, I believe you two owe me some New Hatchlings.**

**Nagini, we have discussed this-**

**Yes. And you, Great Fool, have promised me New Hatchlings once you had accomplished your untrue death. Now, she turned back to Harry. I demand New Hatchlings from you.**

**Nagini,** Tom warned. **Lecture us later. We are going home and then you are getting a plump rabbit while I take care of him.** Harry took his face away from the snake and kept his eyes trained to Tom, making sure he wouldn't just disappear if he blinked. He vaguely noticed the three of them were apparated somewhere, presumably home, but he still refused to look away from Tom. He was scooped up and carried bridal-style to Tom's room as tears of relief streaked down his face.

"Tom? Is it really you? I didn't hurt you, did I?"

"No, my Harry. You didn't hurt me a single bit." Harry's feet were placed firmly on the bed and Harry used the momentum to toss Tom back onto the bed.

"Good, because you and I are not leaving this bed until next bloody year."

* * *

"Harry, I believe it is time to give the public the story they wish to hear." Harry looked up from his tea and sighed.

"I suppose you're right. Any chance I can get you to come with?" Tom smiled and gave him a gentle kiss.

"Of course, my darling. After all, no one knows who I am. I'll need a proper introduction."

"You're not at all terrified of meeting the Weasley family?" Tom shook his head.

"A rookie mistake, Tom. You should be terrified to meet the lot of them." Severus's deep voice announced him before he had even rounded the corner to the study. "Separately, the red-headed clan can be tolerable at the best of times. Meeting them altogether should be a terrifying experience. You really should be quaking where you stand."

"Just because you don't have any patience, doesn't mean that Tom doesn't have patience as well." Severus raised an eyebrow.

"You think I don't have patience?"

"Harry, now you've done it. He'll exact his revenge so far from now that you won't even remember what he's mad about to begin with. Besides Severus, I've already met two of the Weasley's, one of which isn't faring too well with dear Fenrir. The other I found to be quite the strategist. And Hermione is rather intelligent. I believe you're overreacting Severus. All I have to do is turn on my classic charm and pretend I don't know Ron and Hermione. How hard can that be?"

* * *

Harry let himself in through the kitchen door followed closely by Tom. Molly was cleaning up the dishes from lunch and the rest of the house was suspiciously quiet.

"Mrs. Weasley? I hope I'm not interrupting." She jerked and almost dropped the plate she had in her hand as she looked up.

"Good heavens, Harry? I didn't know you were arriving today! Come in, come in-have a seat dear. And Severus, how good to see you-I'm sorry," she pulled up short at Tom. "I don't believe I know who you are."

"This is Tom. He's...well…" A blush started to creep into his skin just before Tom turned on his charm.

"A pleasure to meet you Mrs. Weasley. I'm Tom, Harry's significant other. I've heard nothing but amazing things about your cooking and your skills as a mother. I must thank you for raising such a fine young man." She blushed and smiled at him.

"Molly, if you would. And we're only his adopted family, even though it isn't on paper. I didn't actually raise him."

"An honorary family is still a family, no? I believe he did mention how humble you are with the things you're good at."

Molly blushed. "I'll be happy to whip up something special for dinner tonight if you'll stick around that long. Now Harry," she turned and put both hands on her hips while adopting a stern tone and putting her hands on her hips. "Exactly why am I just now finding out that you have a significant other?"

"I couldn't risk him getting hurt. If the wrong person saw or heard anything…" Relief washed over him when she smiled in understanding.

"Quite alright dear, I understand. I'm assuming you're here for Ron and Hermione?" She walked to the open kitchen window and rang the dinner bell. "Just a moment dear, I'm sure they'll be arriving-" Ron burst through the kitchen door, panting. Hermione was still halfway across the yard.

"I heard the bell, did you make muffins? HARRY!" Ron threw his arms around Harry and pulled him in for a hug, the two of them laughing. "I'm so glad you're back mate! I hope you're ready to be interrogated, I swear that's all Hermione has been doing to me."

"Ronald, what on earth is so important that you go dashing off like that!?" Ron turned to face her and shrugged.

"It's the dinner bell, of course I had to see what was going on. And Harry's here, of course." Harry peeked around Ron and Hermione beamed at him before giving him a bone-crushing hug.

"We've missed you so much, how've you been? Everything alright with you?" Harry nodded.

"Guys, this is Tom. Tom, this is Ron and Hermione. Best friends and surrogate siblings." Tom shook Ron's hand and kissed Hermione's.

"The pleasure is all mine. I'm happy to finally meet you two, Harry's told me of all the adventures you've gotten up to in the past."

"I'm sure he did. He's quite fond of going after madmen," Ron laughed and winked at Harry.

"Nah, just one. I think I'm done with madmen now. I'm only going after this one, he's enough to keep me occupied." They laughed and Hermione brought out some parchment and a quick-quotes quill.

"Now, let's get down to business."


	30. Chapter 30

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

* * *

_The Truth About You-Know-Who's Death_

_Harry Potter, age 15, has finally agreed to open up to us about the events taking place on July 20th. On the date in question, Harry and friends were walking down the street in Diagon Alley when three death eaters appeared and kidnapped them. When asked where he was taken, Harry's only response was "I don't know where they took us. All I could focus on was Voldemort."_

_Here's what he had to say:_

_"We landed in a field. Not sure where. We didn't wait for him to start talking. I took him on while Hermione (Granger) and Ron (Weasley) started battling death eaters to keep them off of me. All I remember from then on was a flash of green light and he fell. It seemed like everyone forgot what they were doing-just waiting to see if he would get back up. He didn't and we apparated back to Diagon Alley before his followers could register what had happened._

_"I don't remember anything after that point. I've been at home processing my emotions on what happened. In the end of it all, I killed a man. A deranged man with a horrendous moral code, but a man just the same. I had to address that with myself before I could come out with what happened to the public."_

_When asked about his love life, Harry simply had this to say:_

_"I've had an amazing man by my side for awhile now. His identity shall remain anonymous until the ceremony that the Ministry of Magic has requested of me in a few days."_

Harry closed the newspaper and finished off his morning tea. He didn't need to read the rest of the article. It was just a bunch of information about the celebration he was going to be going to at the ministry tonight. He sighed and stretched before going to put on the outfit that Frederick had whipped up for him. Apparently, Tom got a matching one as well.

It was absolute black with small strands of sparkling red catching the light every now and again. The inside was lined with blood red silk. Fetching, but professional. He donned his clothing and knocked on Tom's door. His breath caught at how handsome his partner looked.

He had already put in coloured contacts and now had vivid purple eyes.

"What's with purple? I thought you were going with blue, like how you had before your eyes turned red."

"Yes, well. Apparently blue contacts over red eyes makes them look purple. But I've looked into it. There's a very small percentage of people that have violet eyes such as this naturally."

"You look amazing, by the way. If we didn't have to leave, we'd both be undressed already." They left and arrived to the ministry. They entered through the employee entrance as requested and were led up to a stage curtain. Harry could hear the minister's voice booming through the atrium on the other side of the heavy fabric.

"And now, for continued acts of incredible bravery and for saving the Wizarding World once more; I now present one Harry James Potter with the Order of Merlin; First Class!" Cheers rose to incredible heights and rose higher still when Harry was pushed through the curtain. He inhaled and smiled at the crowd before walking to the minister. He accepted the medal and the minister pulled him in to talk to him without the magnifying spell catching his voice.

"Would you mind giving a few words Mr. Potter?"

Harry nodded. "Of course, Lucius." The shrewd look the blond gave him told him that it wouldn't take long for him to figure out who he really was. Putting that information aside for later, he turned to the crowd.

"Thank you. I'd like to say a few words, if you'll allow me." The crowd was swept with silence. "First and foremost, I'd like to thank my father Severus Snape. For without his assistance, I would have been dead many years ago. I'd also like to thank the Weasleys. Without them, I wouldn't know the true meaning of family. And thank you to Ronald Weasley and Hermione Granger; without them helping me every step of the way I would have been killed long ago...and I'd also like to thank one more person. I would like to thank Tom." He gestured to Tom who was standing on the stage and hadn't been noticed before now. "Without him, I would not be able to accept a hug. I wouldn't be standing here today, confident in the person I am. I wouldn't have had the determination or ability to kill Voldemort without him." As he spoke, Tom stepped nearer to him until they were face to face. "Thank you, for always being everything I need." Tom's fingertips grazed his cheek as he was pulled in for a kiss.

The crowd went wild at the display.

"Alright, alright. I do have one last thing to say. Don't ever forget that circumstances create who we are. There is a time when each of us needs to choose between what is easy and what is right. When faced with this choice, the right way is the path we should choose. All Voldemort knew growing up was hate. And when Albus Dumbledore discovered this he had to make a choice. Instead of taking the time to teach Voldemort kindness, he choose the easy route of ignoring the warning signs. It would become someone else's problem later. And it soon became the world's problem-then it became my problem.

"Because of someone making the easy choice, thousands have died. I have had to kill before reaching seventeen. Just don't forget that the difference between the easy way and the right way may result in the loss of life, innocence and peace." Lucius stepped forward and directed the mass of people to the ballroom where there was music and refreshments.

"Will you be joining us Harry?" The curtains had been pulled shut and Harry glanced up at Tom.

"What do you think?"

"I think we shall play a little cat-and-mouse with the press. What do you think?" Harry smirked and nodded as they were led to the press room.

* * *

"Here's the deal. I'm agreeing to a press conference but there will be three rules. Rule one, each individual gets one singular question that I will answer. Rule two, I do have the choice of turning that question down. In this event, you'll simply have to find another question that I will answer. Rule three, there will be respect at all times. No talking over each other and no pictures without permission. Permission does count for your singular question. Now, who would like to go first?" Hands shot up into the air and he started with a middle-aged man in the middle.

"Mr. Potter, could you tell us a bit more about your mystery man Tom?"

"Tom has been my partner for almost a year now. He has supported me in everything I've set out to do and has somehow managed to not go crazy yet." He moved on to the next person.

"What sort of future do you two see yourselves having?"

"I see myself with Tom for a long time. I'm officially off the market."

"You turn sixteen tomorrow. How do you feel knowing that you'll be able to spend your sixteenth birthday with your father, Severus Snape?"

"I mean, it feels great. Knowing I get to spend my birthday with my father, my surrogate family and with Tom makes me happier than you can imagine."

"What was your childhood like, growing up with muggles?" Harry froze and his eyes took on a glossy look to them for a moment before Tom raised his voice.

"Rule four, no questions about childhood unless they pertain to Hogwarts. Thank you." The rest of the hour was spent answering questions for the press. Only the last reporter asked for a photo.

"Is there any way we could be allowed to photograph the two of you kissing?" Before Harry could answer, Tom had pulled him in and pressed their lips together. They smiled and gazed at one another as the reporters quickly filed from the room.

"Would you like to go home, Harry?"

"Anything to get you out of these clothes, My Lord." It didn't take long for them to get home after that.

* * *

Harry plopped down two bowls of oatmeal on the table and turned to fetch the berries before Tom made his way to the table for breakfast. He had woken early and had decided to let the elves do something other than breakfast today. Before he made to the kitchen, he staggered and caught himself on the wall. _Strange. I must have tripped on myself._ He brushed his moment of clumsiness off and went to find the berries.

Breakfast was a rather dull affair. Severus didn't come around for meals as often anymore as school had started up once more and that left the room quieter than he was used to. Things livened up once Tom arrived for his morning meal and they chatted about how Harry was feeling about his studies from the day before. He had opted out of another year of Hogwarts as he didn't want his celebrity status to affect his learning.

"Tom, I wanted to ask you something." Curious eyes met his and Tom prompted him to continue. "What would it take for you to allow me to have a garden next year? You've got what was once a garden long ago-it's mostly weeds now."

"What makes you think you need to wait until next year?"

"Uh, because the winter will kill everything so nothing will have a chance to properly take root right now? It's October Tom." Sarcasm dripped from his tone as Tom smiled and shook his head.

"Greenhouse wards do exist you know. Tell you what, you've been way ahead of your studies compared to others your age. Let's ditch the rest of this weeks lesson plans and I'll teach you how greenhouse wards work. Then, once you've managed to get enough of them up to protect the plants from unfavourable elements and animals I'll let you have a garden in your spare time. Just don't forget that studies come first." Harry beamed and polished off the rest of his meal.

* * *

As Harry learned about wards and the different effects they could have, he thought about the sort of plants he would wish to have. He definitely wanted to grow vegetables and fruits, it'd be nice to always have a snack handy while he was outside. And he did love flowers, but he'd have to pick and choose carefully as to what kinds he wanted to grow. There was only so much space and he had to work within the confinements of where the garden used to reside.

It only took him a few days to properly ward off the garden area. Tom had added a rather complex ward with him, allowing snow and rain to fall and stick around like it normally would, but the plants would remain unaffected.

* * *

It wasn't uncommon to see Harry working in his new sanctuary. He spent an entire week pulling weeds and uncovering stone paths. It only took the elves a few minutes to get the fountain working once Harry had cleaned the entire thing from top to bottom. He rather liked the look of a pure white marble fountain and this one seemed to sparkle in the sunlight.

He took his time turning the dirt over and adding fertilizer and had managed to make a map of the garden and it's paths so he could plan out what he wanted where. Before long, he had an impressive garden mapped out.

"Tom?" The man in question looked up from the book he was reading. "I was wondering if we could go to a nursery?" Surprise overtook Tom's face and his eyes widened.

"A-a nursery? Harry, what are you telling me?" Harry started laughing, doubled over with mirth. The thought occurred to him that he was grateful that Nagini didn't happen to witness their conversation. He'd hate to have to break the news to her that it was a simple misunderstanding.

"Not like that! A nursery is what muggles call places that grow seeds into plants. The young plants are then either sold to muggles for gardens or grown to adulthood for flower arrangements." Tom laughed once he realized his mistake.

"Yes, we can go to a nursery. Be sure to grab a jacket Harry, it's chilly out today." Tom apparated them to a town Harry had never been to and Harry looked around at the architexture. It was intricate and simple all at the same time.

"Tom, where are we?"

"A small town not too far from the mansion. They have the most amazing floral displays in the spring, I thought you'd want to visit where the flowers look best." Harry nodded and asked where their destination was.

"Excuse me, miss? I was wondering if you knew where the local nursery or floral shop may be?" Tom turned his charm to maximum as he chatted to the older woman about where to find the town's nursery. "Come on Harry, it's at the end of the next street over." They walked in a comfortable silence, taking in the town and its charm.

"Good afternoon, how can I help you gentlemen?" They walked in and Harry took a deep breath of scented air.

"Hi, I'm planning out a garden and was wondering if you had any recommendations? Here's my plans so far." He pulled out his map and they talked about the benefits of lilies versus daffodils and whether or not he really wanted lily of the valley right next to tulips or the lilac trees. The soft ding of the bell went off once more and an older man walked in.

"Hi Mr. Jenkins. I'll add this week's rose to your monthly tab." The gentleman nodded, selected a white rose and made his way out once more. "Poor fellow. His wife passed away ten years ago. He puts a new rose on her grave every week and pays us on the first of every month for the ones he gives to her. White was her favourite."

They carried on for a little while longer and the shopkeeper grabbed all the seeds he would need to make his vision come to life. He was just about to pay as an idea came to him.

"How much does Mr. Jenkins pay for his roses every week?" She gave him a small smile.

"I only charge him what they cost me. He has trouble affording them, her sickness cost him most of what he had saved. His monthly bill is fifteen pounds, give or take." Harry pulled out his wallet and handed her an extra two hundred pounds.

"That's for Mr. Jenkins's roses. In the spring, plant some white roses next to her headstone and whatever will be left, use for his monthly tab. The world could use less worry."

With tears in her eyes, the shopkeeper accepted his payment. "That's what Mrs. Jenkins used to say. Thank you."


	31. Chapter 31

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

* * *

The following month Harry spent studying at a dizzying pace. He was ready for his NEWTs and had managed to secure a testing slot so he could get them over with. He was just leaving the ministry after his final test-charms-to be whisked away by none other than the minister himself.

"Good afternoon, Minister. What can I do for you today?" Lucius nodded and steered him towards his office before cutting to the chase.

"Please, have a seat Mr. Potter. I'm afraid there was something I wished to bring to your attention." Harry gestured for him to continue. "It would seem that there are many within our world that are skeptical about the demise of You-Know-Who. I was curious if you would be willing to share your memories on the night for public viewing to placate them."

"I understand that very few were there to witness what had happened that day, but why is this just now becoming an issue? From what I've seen, everyone seems to have accepted it." Lucius nodded and poured them some tea.

"Ah, yes. You see, the public saw him disappear the night he gave you your infamous scar. Sure, there was talk that he would be back-he was feared that greatly. But they took Albus Dumbledore's words as blind truth. They believed him to be dead and then he returned. I'm sure you can see how they would be wary to believe that he's truly gone once more when they have not seen him die. Talk has been spreading that this is the same as it was before-that he will return one day because they have seen it happen." Harry nodded. After all, it made sense. The public had trusted blindly once before and had been put in immense danger because of it.

"Alright. But I have conditions. It's only available to the public until I'm of age, it's only going to be viewable in the Ministry's atrium as a projection so multiple people can view it at once and it will be free. If you think the populace will want to leave a donation then set up donation boxes."

The blond haired man nodded and wrote down Harry's conditions. "What sort of charity would you wish the donations to go to?"

"Are there any orphanages for magical children?" Lucius shook his head slowly.

"No, now that I think of it. It would be a good idea to have one."

"Give me a few days. I'll owl you with the donation information and the memory as soon as I get a few things squared away."

* * *

"A _what?_ I'm sure I can't have heard you correctly. For a moment there I thought you said you wanted to open an orphanage for magical children." Severus snickered in the back of the library as Tom processed the information.

"You heard me! Look, you grew up as an orphan in the muggle world. You were stripped of any semblance of normalcy as an infant and I was beaten at the hands of my 'caretakers' because of the magic in my veins. Do you really want others to grow as we did?" This stopped Tom's impending rant in its tracks.

"No, I suppose not. I've heard the muggle world has gotten less cruel to those that are different; however, children naturally ostracize what is different. But we don't have anyone to run this orphanage of yours. And how will we maintain it? Where will it even be, I certainly don't have any properties that will be suitable for this." At this, Severus stepped forward.

"I'm sure there will be plenty of properties that belong to the Potter line that would be suitable. And I've heard that a certain red-headed matriarch is getting restless without her children at home. And with all the various laws regarding elf rights now, I'm sure we will be able to find many who wish to work but who either don't have families to serve or have been turned out for one reason or another. And there's a certain bushy-haired know-it-all who loves to push paperwork that would make a great addition."

Harry smiled, glad that his father was willing to support his endeavor.

"And even if donations stop-which I don't think will happen-I'll have much more than enough to support it until I can find a way to make it self-sufficient." Tom looked from one man to the other and smiled.

"You both seemed determined. I suppose I'll support it. You'll have to make a trip to Gringotts for a list of all the properties you've inherited." Harry beamed and held out a stack of parchment.

"I've already done that."

* * *

Choosing a location was much harder than Harry had anticipated. Only three properties were counted out as they were smaller cottages. The rest were all manors or small castles that were plenty large enough to house not only the orphans but the staff as well. Deciding he needed to come up with a better plan of attack, he created a list of must-haves for what he wanted this orphanage to be.

_Must have a minimum of:_

_Fifty small bedrooms/nurseries (Fifteen shared bathrooms)_

_Ten living quarters_

_Adequate housing for house elves_

_Three large living areas_

_Three offices_

_Large kitchen for house elves to prepare food_

_Large kitchen for resident use_

_Dining hall_

_Garden area for vegetables, fruits and flowers_

_Four visiting rooms_

_Five bathrooms throughout non-living spaces_

Once he had his list, he managed to narrow his options down to four different properties. Wildflower Manor, Seaway Castle, Meadow Estate and Sanctuaire Chateau.

"Tom? What do you think about these? They're really the only ones large enough that are within reasonable travel distance." Tom looked over his choices and handed him back the Seaway Castle paperwork.

"This one would be too cold. The North Sea is beautiful but gets incredibly bitter in the winter. And the Chateau in southern France, although having a wonderful name and reputation, is still a long way to travel for some." He handed back the parchments. "I think your best bet is either the Wildflower Manor or the Meadow Estate. They both have comparable accommodations, it looks like it's mostly your preference in architecture and the layout if location doesn't bother you."

"Location isn't a huge concern for me since Holland isn't that far away. But I'm not sure I know what these types of architecture look like. Maybe we should visit them so I can see them in person? There's only so much that descriptions can do for me." They left that afternoon to visit the two properties.

They visited the Meadow Estate first and Harry looked up in awe. The tudor styled building fit in nicely with the vast rolling hills behind it. Walking in, Harry had to remind himself to pick up his jaw. Large open spaces made up the foyer and beyond that was a simple staircase. All the wood was stained dark and the rest of the walls were cream. Simple lights hung from the ceilings.

"Well, what are your thoughts?" Tom's voice practically echoed.

"I'm not sure, to be honest. It's very plain, but definitely large enough. I'm afraid applicants would think it's too...clinical, almost."

"Yes, the tudor style can do that at times. It's very minimalistic. Although I'm sure you would find a way to decorate the place that wouldn't detract from the simplicity, it'll take time." They moved on to the Wildflower Manor in England.

What awaited them took Harry's breath away. The Jacobean style reminded him of a smaller, more intricate version of Hogwarts. He opened the doors to the foyer and gasped. Intricate designs were everywhere and made the large areas seem less cold and more cozy. The crystal chandelier glittered and they continued on to the grand staircase. As they toured the manor, Harry noticed that all of the stairways had larger platforms and were shorter in height than he was used to seeing. The lower wall trims, although just as intricate as higher trims, never seemed to have sharp edges. The only floors that had carpet were the bedrooms, although the entertaining rooms and the library all had expansive rugs that covered huge portions of the floor.

The lower level had a potions lab and a wine cellar in addition to the lower kitchens and housing for house elves. They noticed there were a few staircases leading up to the first floor, one of which lead to a secret door in one of the studies.

The general bedrooms that they would be using for the children were all on the second floor. Harry had been absolutely floored to see the amount of planning that went into the layout of the place. Some rooms were smaller, and some were larger, but most of the rooms on this floor were just big enough for two small beds and each room connected to jack-and-jill bathrooms.

At some point Tom led them upstairs to peruse the living quarters. There were twelve in total, each one with; a master bedroom-complete with a full bathroom, a smaller bedroom, a kitchenette, a half bathroom and a living room. Harry, unable to hide his excitement any longer, stopped Tom in his tracks as they started for the stairs.

"Tom, I think this is the one. This is going to be the orphanage."

"I take it you have ideas?" Harry's eyes practically sparkled with excitement.

"Oh yes, I have plenty of ideas."

* * *

_Minister,_

_I've decided that any and all monetary donations can be collected in the enclosed container. Physical donations can be owled to the following location: Wildflower Manor. I've also enclosed the memory for viewing. Upon the moment I am of legal age, this memory will finish the current viewing and then no longer be able to be viewed. I've already owled all the major publications with further details. You can expect to be hearing about the orphanage paperwork soon._

_Harry Potter_

Tom smiled as he finished glossing over Harry's letter to the minister. Giving him the go ahead to send it and the charmed box directly to Lucius, he started in on his own letters to various contacts.

He started with Lucius, detailing a timeline of the orphanage and when they planned to have major steps completed as well as a request for any legal paperwork they would have to fill out for adoption. The next was to Gringotts, inquiring about opening a vault for the orphanage and what all would be needed to ensure that everything would go smoothly.

* * *

_Harry Potter Starts An Orphanage!_

_That's right lovely readers, it has been confirmed that Harry Potter, Boy-Who-Lived, is opening an orphanage for magical children! In response to the public's unease with He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named's second-and final-death, Mr. Potter agreed to allow the general populace to view his memory of the occasion to put your mind at ease. The memory can be viewed, for free, within the Ministry of Magic's Atrium. Next to this projected memory, which plays upon request, is a donations box for the orphanage. Here's what the plaque reads:_

_Monetary donations to Salutem Orphanage can be received here. Item donations can be sent to Wildflower Manor._

_Harry Potter himself has reached out to us here at The Daily Prophet to spread the word about his orphanage._

_"Salutem Orphanage is scheduled to be opening December first of next year. All magical children will be welcome. It's our goal to be open before then, I'll keep you updated if the opening of the orphanage happens sooner. All ages are welcome, and a live-in healer will be available for a wide variety of services such as pregnancy checks for mothers who have decided upon adoption and surrogacy and births as well as the normal duties of healing the residents around the clock. Both magical and muggle ways will be taught as the children grow to give them a solid ground to stand on once they are old enough for Hogwarts. While I'm encouraging applicants to apply, I will not be responding to these applications until next year. Of course, donations are always welcome." When asked about the adoption process, Mr. Potter simply had this to say:_

_"Since Salutem [Orphanage] is the first magical orphanage, we are working with the ministry to form regulations and standards. I haven't been concerned about the adoption fees yet, and more about the adoption process itself. Since we'll be working closely with the ministry, I've insisted that we focus on paying attention to children who live with family as well. Children who are living in abusive households should be removed from the situation and taken to where they will be looked after properly; sadly, situations like this are often overlooked as there is nowhere to put these kids. I hope to remedy that concern so the ministry will be able to step in if necessary."_

_Mr. Potter plans on having more updates for us in the coming new year._

* * *

A red envelope landed in Harry's lap about an hour after the _Prophet_ had released. Before he could process what was happening, Hermione's voice rang out across the house.

"HARRY JAMES POTTER! OPENING AN ORPHANAGE WITHOUT TALKING TO US FIRST?! WHAT IN MERLIN'S NAME WERE YOU THINKING BY NOT TELLING US FIRST? I'M EXTREMELY DISAPPOINTED IN YOU, YOUNG MAN! RONALD AND I WILL BE EXPECTING YOUR FATHER TO BRING US TO YOU ON THE HOLIDAY BREAK SO I CAN WRING YOUR NECK PERSONALLY FOR KEEPING SECRETS!"

The letter burst into flame and the ash landed in a neat pile on the coffee table in front of him.

"Did you forget to send her letter the day before you went to talk to the press?" Harry blushed a vibrant red.

"Yeah...I sent them out at the same time but it looks like her letter is taking a bit longer than I expected to arrive to her." At this, an irritated Hedwig flew through the window and landed on his leg with a letter attached to her foot. "Hey lovely, there's water and snacks waiting for you by your perch." She hooted gratefully and took off once he remove the letter.

_Harry,_

_I'm so sorry for the howler you just received as Hedwig appeared just after I had sent it. I'm so excited you're opening an orphanage! Are you going to need help with the paperwork and legalities? I've been wondering what I'd really want to do, as politics don't appeal to me they way they used to. I'd love to have a future with the orphanage! And I'm sure Mrs. Weasley will want to help-she's got the empty nest syndrome pretty badly now that Ron and Ginny are almost done with school. And Madame Pomfrey has a niece who will be finishing her mastery in healing this spring. Oh, I'm so excited to help you with this! I still expect Professor Snape to be picking up Ron and I for at least a day during the holiday break._

_Love,_

_Hermione_

Harry shook his head and smiled. It wasn't like her to stop going to school early, but knowing her she had learned all of the NEWT level work anyway. Ron would likely continue school as normal before deciding what he wanted to do as a career. He couldn't believe it, but it looked like he was going to be overwhelmed with help rather than overwhelmed with work.


	32. Chapter 32

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

* * *

"Tom, let's go! We're running late as it is-we don't have the time for you to lollygag about!" Harry was determined to ensure that everything with the orphanage went off without a hitch, and Tom running late wasn't a part of his plan. Luckily, Tom was ready in record time and they apparated to Hermione's office.

The woman in question was already there, filing away last minute paperwork and explaining how things were done. The young girl would only be there until Hermione finished her schooling and then would be leaving to move back with her family in Switzerland.

"Hermione! How's everything?"

"Morning Harry, I just finished showing Heather how the paperwork needs to be filed for you. Is Tom coming?"

"Yes, he was just behind me. No doubt he's being coddled by an anxious Molly." They laughed and the three of them gathered at the bottom of the main stairs.

"All right, is everyone here?" A chorus of voices called affirmatives back at him. "Right, we officially open in a few minutes. There could be a ton of people coming all at once or none at all. Regardless, I'm so happy to have each and every one of you here to help me see this come to fruition."

"First things first, when children arrive they will be transferred into Molly's care. Anyone looking to adopt will be referred to Hermione and Heather. Just so everyone knows, adoption applications can be filled out but we will not be accepting or denying applications for at least another week while we get these kids settled in a bit. Since only Daisy and Willow have uniforms you will only call on them if you need a house elf for anything. I know you've gotten used to calling on some of the other elves, but they don't have uniforms made up quite yet. Molly?"

"Yes, Harry dear?"

"You remember the plan for different age groups versus siblings right?"

"Of course dear. I'll do my best to ensure that none of the siblings are split up and keep everyone in the same age groups from there." She beamed when the grandfather clock struck the hour. "It's time, oh I'm so excited to have a house full of children again!" Tom rolled his eyes at that.

"With any luck we'll be able to keep up with the pace of things." It was several minutes of everyone milling about and talking to one another before the floo flared to life and a young woman stumbled out. She was entirely too thin, dirt was smudged on her face and she held a small bundle of tattered blankets. Harry smiled at her and held out his arms for the baby.

"Do you need a drink, or a snack before you go?" She shook her head but held his gaze with grateful eyes.

"His name is John Perkins. I know you'll take care of him." Her voice cracked with underuse and she fled back to the floo without waiting for an answer. He handed the still-sleeping baby off to Poppy for a health screening and Heather went to document the results before he would be given a crib. Just as the blankets left his arms, the floo came to life once more.

The rest of the day was a steady stream of children either coming on their own or single parents to drop off those too young to make it themselves. Some of the parents didn't show any emotion other than cold detachment or relief with not having to take care of the children anymore, and some burst into tears before leaving. It broke Harry's heart seeing how many children were either orphaned or just not wanted.

Towards the end of the day, when the floo had been silent for almost half an hour, Harry turned towards Hermione.

"How many?" She rifled through her stack of parchments before looking at him.

"Thirty seven. Most of them only need nutrients potions, a shower and a good rest after dinner. Some though…" Heather stepped forward.

"Some of them need time with Poppy before they can be released to their own rooms." He nodded.

"Thank you. I'll have Molly gather all the kids before dinner so I can sit down and talk with them and then I'll come see the ones with Poppy afterwards." He felt Tom's arms around his shoulders as the adults left to gather the children and finish filing paperwork.

"You've done incredibly well, my love. Severus went around to each room and engraved all the name plaques on the cribs and doors for the children and Poppy has been incredibly happy that it was only a few that needed her attention for more than a checkup. And Molly seems delighted to be spending so much time with kids again."

"Go ahead and take a seat anywhere dears."

"Sounds like Molly has the lot of them in the living room. Let's go meet them all properly this time." He wasn't surprised to see all of the kids were sitting on the edges of their seats or nervously bouncing from one foot to the other.

"Oh, there he is! Everyone, this is Mr. Harry and Mr Tom." A few shy hands waved at them. "They run the orphanage."

"Hi guys. Do you all know why you're here?" A small girl raised her hand.

"Well, I'm here be-because my mummy isn't here no more. I'm supposed to find a new mummy while I'm here." She was clearly struggling to enunciate her words, but she looked happy with how it came out when she was done.

"That's right. It's my job to look for mummies and daddies that want someone like you in their families. I want to make sure that you all know you can talk to me about anything. And I truly mean anything." He pointedly looked at the handful of older children standing in the back. "I know this is a big change for some of you, but I want you all to feel welcome and comfortable here. If there's anything you want or need, please tell Mrs. Molly or one of the other adults here. And they'll be going around and asking you what kind of family you'd want to have as well as the things you like and don't like. Please be honest with them. Now, who's ready for dinner?" The group of kids were herded to the dining room in short order.

* * *

_Salutem Orphanage a Resounding Success!_

_Salutem Orphanage officially opened its doors to orphaned children last week and have contacted us at the Daily Prophet to inform us that applications for adoptions are officially being accepted and reviewed. At the time the orphanage reached out to us, they had 40 children of all ages who were looking for their forever homes._

_For more information on adoption, and the official adoption application, see page 4_

* * *

"Well, the paper seems to have gotten a lot of people interested in adoption. Hermione's even sent me a letter asking for more help and Molly has already hired two extra women to handle the kids during the day." Tom smiled and was just about to say something when a house elf popped into their living room.

"Master Harry, Mrs. Molly is wanting Daisy to ask you if you will come to help out today." Harry noted that the uniforms now had the orphanage crest on the breast pocket.

"Hi Daisy. You can tell her that Tom and I both will be there today to help them out. Tom's planning on spending some time with the kids and I'll be helping Hermione and Heather with the applicants today." Daisy nodded and popped away once more.

"Harry, I've been thinking."

"Oh no, that only spells trouble for me," Harry laughed. "What's on your mind?"

"Let's go out tonight." Tom stood and practically swept Harry up into his arms. "I've never really done the whole relationship thing before, but I would be honored if you'd consider going on a date with me." Harry beamed, butterflies suddenly taking flight in his stomach.

"I'd like that very much Tom."

* * *

Five Years Later:

"Harry, what did I do with that application for Charlie? I could swear I had it right here just a moment ago!" Hermione's hair was threatening to come out of the clip she had it in and she looked so flustered she might start crying at any moment.

"Hermione, it's right here." He plucked it out of her hand and guided her to one of the arm chairs in her office. "Listen, you're overwhelmed. It's not good for the baby, just relax." Hermione nodded and cradled her swollen midsection.

"You're right of course. I really don't know where my mind goes these days. Thanks Harry."

"Quite alright. Now, are you going to be okay for the rest of the day?" She nodded, looking both happy and slightly offended at the same time.

"Of course I'll be fine. I always am. Are you and Tom going on another one of your infamous dates soon?" She wiggled her eyebrows at him and he blushed. Their dates had become the talk of the staff after they found out that Tom had a tendency to take Harry across country lines to extravagant hotels and world famous restaurants. The women had all swooned when they heard about their last date-they had gone to a private island for a long weekend in the tropics.

"Yes, tonight actually. I've asked him for something quiet this time. After the last one, I'd like to have some peace during dinner." They laughed and Molly called for Harry's help setting up an activity. After he left her office, Hermione went to find Tom.

* * *

It didn't take long to find him. He was in nursery room eleven, gently rocking the newborn to sleep. Smiling, Tom looked up at her as she lowered herself into the other rocking chair.

"Has she named her yet?"

"No, Margret wanted whoever adopts her to be the ones to name her. Poor thing just wants to go home and forget it ever happened. She's been sleeping well?" He nodded and she leaned back in her chair. "So, I've been meaning to ask you a few things." Tom raised an eyebrow at her.

"Oh don't give me that. I know you filled out an application. I'm pregnant, not stupid." Tom blushed, but didn't look away. "I'm curious as to why you put it in the 'hold' file. Did you not discuss this with Harry?"

"Not yet. But I know he's happiest when he gets to see these kids. We've talked about our relationship and what we want for the future. He did say he wanted children, and the orphanage just keeps gaining more and more kids that need homes. I think it lines up with his values and with what he wants pretty well. I didn't put it with active applications because I wanted to do it right." She tilted her head curiously and gestured for him to elaborate.

"Tonight we're going to a small town in Holland for a picnic dinner. I'm going to ask him to be my bonded." Neither one of them could have predicted the quiet squeal of happiness coming from her lips, nor the hug that followed.

"Don't stress over it Tom. He loves you, he has for years. Now, about that application-just for curiosity's sake-did you have one in mind?" Tom smiled and looked down at the baby in his arms.

"You know, I didn't before. But I think I might now."

* * *

"Where exactly are you taking me that I need to be blindfolded?" Tom chuckled and wrapped his summer cloak around Harry's shoulders.

"You'll see in a moment. Now hold on." Tom wrapped his arms around him and apparated. When they landed, Tom guided him a few paces away and gently removed the silk blindfold. He gasped.

They were in the middle of what appeared to be a field of roses, complete with tiny fairy lights smattered throughout the flowers that sparkled in the evening air. A large blanket was laid out with every kind of fruit imaginable as well as wine, tea and a plethora of other delicacies.

"Tom?" The unsaid question hung in the air. He could hardly contain his curiosity as this sort of date was completely different than usual. If he were honest, he loved it more than the expensive meals around the globe.

"Harry, I love you. I have for a long time now." Tom turned Harry to face him and smiled at him. "It's hard to believe the orphanage is already coming up on its five year anniversary. I've watched you grow into your own skin, as it were, and then I got to see you grow as an adult with the orphanage. And I want to see us grow too. Together-"

"And with others, if Nagini finally gets her way. She's far too demanding for how long she's been pestering us. You'd think she'd give up by now, or at least reel in her hints a bit."

"Yes, together and with others." Tom sank down to his knees, his scarlet eyes never leaving Harry's. Harry loved it when Tom's eyes were red, the violet color he used in public just wasn't the same. "I love you Harry, like I've never loved anyone else. You managed the impossible-you captured my heart. I'm a better person because of you, and I've managed to-somehow-convince Severus that this is a good idea. Would you bond with me?" At some point Tom had procured a small box with a ring in it and Harry's eyes started crying on their own.

He was speechless. Never in a million years had he ever expected to hear Tom asking him to bond with him. At some point, he realized that his hand was over his mouth in shock and that he hadn't actually given an answer even though his mind and heart were screaming affirmatives.

He nodded and dropped the hand over his mouth as Tom beamed up at him while placing the band around his finger. Small rubies glinted as light reflected off of them as Tom stood. The next thing he knew, Tom's lips were against his own and he was hoisted up into the taller man's arms. Automatically, his legs wrapped around Tom's hips and he vaguely noted the gentle spin as they kissed.

Needless to say, this was Harry's favourite date so far.


	33. Chapter 33

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

* * *

**"Master Hatchling, the Sassy One is in the study."**

**"Thank you Nagini."** Tom looked over at Harry. "Do you want to meet me in bed or are you coming with me to the study?" Harry simply winked and dragged him along to see Severus. The bedroom could wait for now.

"Ah, I was beginning to think you two would never come home." Tom rolled his eyes at the sarcastic comment and sat down on his favourite chair before pulling Harry into his lap.

"Come off it dad, you know I have plans at the orphanage tomorrow. The kids and I have been planning a surprise party for Hermione for two weeks now, I can't miss that!" The man rolled his eyes and raised an eyebrow at Tom.

"Oh come off it, just ask him if you're so damn curious." Tom's voice was joking on the surface but had a slight hint of irritation at the banter.

"Alright, I'll take the bait then. Any news to tell me, Harry?" Harry inwardly sighed. The two of them weren't being subtle at all. It reminded him of Nagini and her constant pestering about children.

"I'm sure you're well aware that Tom asked me to bond with him. And I'm sure you're equally aware of the ring I've been sporting. Surely you're smart enough to do the math to that." Severus stared at him in shock for a moment before busting out in hearty laughter.

"I think you've been spending far too much time around me Harry. Your comments are starting to resemble mine." Severus congratulated them both and took his leave after hinting at all the things he was sure they wanted to get to.

* * *

**"New Hatchling, can I ask you a question?"** Harry smiled and allowed Nagini to wrap herself around him and scooted the chair he was in a bit closer to the fire to stave off the chill in the air.

**"What's on your mind?"**

**"Listen first, I wish for an answer. Have you and Master Hatchling talked about new new hatchlings?"** Harry tilted his head and gauged her motive. She seemed genuinely curious to know if they had considered it.

**"We talked about it awhile ago, but we weren't ready for that. Well...I wasn't ready for that. My...how do you say it-my nest providers? The people I was with before hurt me a great deal. I needed more time to heal before it would be okay for me to have new new hatchlings."**

**"And now?"**

**"Now, I think there's very little that I would want more. I was going to bring it up last night but then he asked me to be his bonded."**

**"What does that mean? This..._bonded_ word?"**

**"It's a sort of ritual to show others that we're mates."**

**"I see. Well New Hatchling, I am happy for you. You make Master Hatchling happy. But we snakes don't need a ritual to tell people, we can smell it."**

**"Yes, but people don't have as good of a sense of smell, so they have to be told. I'll talk to him about it soon."**

"Talk to me about what?" Tom walked into the library and kissed Harry before stroking Nagini's head before she slithered away to find something large and juicy for dinner.

"Nagini was just asking if we had talked about kids. She seemed curious rather than pushy so I indulged her." Tom nodded and sat on his knees between Harry's leg before wrapping his arms around Harry's waist.

"And what exactly did you tell her?"

"The truth. That we talked about it but I wasn't healthy enough to realistically consider it at the time but that we wanted it in the future." Harry watched as a thoughtful expression passed over Tom's face.

"And just out of curiosity, how far in the future were you thinking?" Harry leaned in and kissed Tom.

"I think that we're at a point where I've been a lot healthier mentally than I used to be. At the time I honestly just meant whenever I was healthy enough to take care of a child. And if I'm being honest? I think I've been healthy enough for that for awhile now. It's just an added benefit that you asked me to bond with you." Tom beamed at him.

"And if I said I wanted to adopt?"

"Until I met you I assumed adoption would be the only way for me to ever have kids anyway." Before he could continue, Tom started talking again.

"And what if I said that I'd want to also try having one with you naturally?" At this, Harry could feel a blush rising to his cheeks.

"I think that any excuse for more sex is a good excuse and with the possibility of a prize at end? Even better." Tom stood and pulled Harry up with him before pulling him into their bedroom.

* * *

Clothes didn't last long. In fact, Tom was fairly certain they had left a trail of various articles of cloth in their wake towards the bedroom. He smiled when Harry pushed him onto the bed. He had gotten better at letting Harry take charge, just as Harry had learned to love letting Tom be in charge as well. But tonight, he was completely content to allow Harry his heart's desire.

Watching Harry lick a trail from his naval to his chest was one of the most erotic things he had seen to date. The anticipation had him on edge and desperate for Harry's touch. He had a sneaky suspicion that Harry knew that as well.

He felt something cold dripping down his erection and opened his eyes-When did I close my eyes?-to see Harry drizzling massage oil onto him. Resisting the urge to lift his hips, he moaned and clutched the sheets around him. He could feel every drip before Harry dragged a finger through the oil to spread it around and simultaneously tease him with gentle touches. A moan ripped its way out of his throat and he struggled to maintain control over himself as Harry every so slowly sank down on his cock. The tight heat moving steadily over him had him ready to burst and they hadn't done hardly anything yet.

The night was filled with wild abandon and passion filled moans until they both collapsed and fell asleep with their limbs intertwined.

* * *

Their bonding was one to behold. Harry had insisted that they do it in the gardens of the orphanage so the kids could come as well as all of their friends who worked there. They were dressed in crimson and white robes with silver thread.

Their vows were simple declarations of love and promises to continue to help support each other as time went on. Once they returned from their honeymoon, they finalized the adoption paperwork for their daughter. They named her Harmony, to remind themselves that in times of conflict the answer to peace and harmony might just be as simple as talking to one another.

* * *

"Tom, what's the date today?"

"The twenty-third, why?"

"I just couldn't remember. I've been so busy lately that I'm having a hard time keeping track of the days." Harry smiled and flooed to the orphanage to see Hermione and Poppy.

The brunette was in her office reading. Harry rolled his eyes and sat down to wait for her to finish the paragraph she was on.

"Hi Harry! How've you been?" Harry smiled at her and sipped at the tea he had been making as she read.

"Everything is great Hermione, you should know that. Have you had a chance to talk to Poppy for me?"

"Actually I did and she said to tell you she's completely willing to help you in any way she can. She also said to tell you that you should know that by now." They laughed and talked as they sipped their tea before she grew serious and leaned in.

"You're serious about this Harry? It's not very common-"

"I'm sure. We're both sure. Harmony has been wonderful and we love her very much. Honestly? I'm ready for this step. Now if you don't mind, I'm going to see Poppy for my checkup before she hangs me for being late." Hermione giggled and shooed him out of her office.

Poppy was bustling about the room when Harry walked in and she immediately zeroed in on him.

"Good morning Harry."

"Morning Poppy. I'm not just here for a checkup today." He purposefully closed the door behind him before plopping down on the bed.

"I see. Am I right in assuming that you've been taking that fertility potion that Severus has been giving you?" He nodded. "Well, I'm very happy to see that you're trying. I imagine he's already told you it isn't very common for men to get pregnant but knowing how stubborn you are, you'll defeat the odds just because you want to. Now hold still, that's it." A few incantations later and a sheaf of parchment later, Harry was informed that he was with child.

"It seems you've decided the odds even sooner than expected Harry! Congratulations on getting pregnant so soon. Now take it easy for awhile. You're going to be pretty tired throughout the next few weeks, and likely beyond that as well. And don't forget to rest when you need it. I mean it, if you're tired then take a nap. It'll do wonders to help you manage the hormones. Come to me anytime you need me dear!" Harry assured her he would return if he needed anything before his next checkup.

* * *

"Tom?" Harry made his way through the house and spotted him eating a light lunch. "There you are. I've been looking all over for you."

"How's Hermione?"

"Tired, but happy as always. She's been hinting that Rose isn't sleeping well through the night anymore but that's to be expected. I think she's been sleeping between clients to get some decent rest lately."

"What else?"

"What are you talking about?" Tom's eyes narrowed slightly.

"You usually gush about everything you two talk about and now you're paraphrasing? Something else had to happen. So tell me, I'm incredibly curious. What happened while you were there?" Harry smiled and stifled a yawn.

"You know, you might be onto something but I need a nap first. Promise I'll tell...you…" The yawn won and Harry chuckled. "Clearly I need some sleep. I'll be outside in the garden hammock okay?" He went outside and laid down in the hammock he had hung by the bleeding hearts and passion flowers. He had barely laid down before sleep overtook him.

He woke up an hour later feeling much more refreshed and spotted Tom reading on a nearby bench. Smiling, he readjusted and tossed a small pebble at the ground by Tom's feet to catch his attention. The book was closed and Tom was by his side in an instant.

"Well hey there sleepyhead. Good nap?"

"Great nap." He sat up and relished the feeling of Tom's fingers carding through his hair. "Is Harmony asleep for her nap?"

"Of course. I've tasked Nagini with watching over her for the afternoon. She'll come get us when she wakes. Do I get to know what else happened today?"

Harry blushed, but quickly steeled his strength before he chickened out. "Yeah, actually. I went to go see Poppy after I saw Hermione. I'm pregnant." Tom's eyes widened before Harry was wrapped up in a hug.

"Truly? You aren't joking?" Harry laughed and shook his head at the question.

"I've had dad make me that potion you talked about. I've been taking it for a bit actually." Tom kissed him and held him close.

"I love you Harry."

"And I love you Tom."


End file.
